A Friendship Begins
by Cap55
Summary: Ongoing story of how Steve finds his way in a new world and the teammates that he learns to trust and protect. Steve centered and Steve!Whump. So slash. Strictly bromance and friendship.
1. Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

A Friendship Begins

The stillness of the ocean floor is broken as unknown sea creatures flee from a single beam of light cutting through the darkness. The light is coming from a lone submarine traveling the lonely waters, exploring the depths of the ocean. As the light sweeps from side to side, it illuminates strange fish and exotic plant life going about their lives, normally unseen by humans.

"See anything yet?" asks the pilot.

"Just a whole lot of fish and water, same as everytime we go down here." snorts the co-pilot.

"Just keep an eye our for any signs of contamination or anything unusual. Mr. Stark wants us to make sure his company isn't damaging the environment."

No sooner have the words left the pilots mouth does the light land on something in the ice that neither of the men ever expected to discover on their day's journey.

"Whoa. Is that what I think it is?" whispered the co-pilot.

"I'm glad you're seeing it too. At least if I'm going crazy I'm not going crazy alone." remarks the pilot. "We gotta call Mr. Stark. Now!"

The next day the once quiet ocean is buzzing with submarines and drones cutting through the ice all to release one small section of the iceberg. Gently and carefully the drones pull out a small square of ice as it slowly raises it into the launch bay doors of a nearby submarine. Onboard the submarine is just as busy as the ocean surrounding it as the block of ice is rolled into the medical bay. Scientists and doctors are running around attending beeping machines and alarms all surrounding the block of ice. Slowly, the ice begins to melt under the huge heat lamps positioned above the frozen block. As the water drains on the floor the prize the ice was holding begins to unfold. Slowly the colors of America begin to show through, battered and worn, but still vibrant and proud. Here lies the man who was the first Super Soldier and a WWII hero: Captain America.

"What's our status?" Tony Stark asks, watching from behind the glass window as the scientists and doctors work around the frozen hero.

"We are almost finished melting the ice," replies Dr. Petersen as he jots down a few notes on his file. "It is quite an amazing discovery. The man who the whole world knows to have made the ultimate sacrifice to save his country and who was lost to us for decades is found on a random oceanic expedition to study the effects of Stark Industries impact on the ocean. The one and only Captain America. It's simply remarkable."

"Stark Industries prides itself on running a successful business without harming our planet," Stark replies with the charisma of a man whose been through countless media conferences. "I was excited to fund this expedition, but I never dreamed we would end up making history by the end of it."

The hustle and chaos inside the lab suddenly halts as everyone stares at a monitor that suddenly lights up and makes a beep. One beep, and then a few seconds later, it beeps again. Slow, but steady it begins to beep and the pace slowly increases.

"What's going on in there?" Stark asks as he focuses on the monitor. "What are they all looking at?"

Suddenly, a scientist in the laboratory waves his hand to signal the on-lookers to come into the lab. Stark and Dr. Petersen quickly throw on their lab coats and surgical masks that everyone is wearing and enter the awe-struck laboratory.

"What is it?" asks Dr. Petersen. "What have you found?"

"The heart rate monitor, Dr. Petersen," the scientist replies in a whisper, "It's reading a heart beat."

"What? That's impossible," snorts Stark. "There's no way! There's got to be some kind of malfunction with the monitor."

"Dr. Petersen," another doctor gasps as she jumps away from the table holding the body of Captain America. "I think,... I think he's breathing!"

Everyone turns their attention from the heart rate monitor, which is still beeping, to the frozen hero on the table. As they watch they see the slow and shallow rise and fall of the star that is emblazoned on the chest of this American hero. Immediately, Dr. Petersen's medical instincts kick into gear and he begins to do what he does best as he gives orders to the medical staff in the room.

"I need an IV placed - that's priority. I want oxygen administered by mask now. Get a heart, respiratory rate and a blood pressure. We need to get him warmed up quickly. Turn up those lamps as high as they will go."

Tony stands by watching in amazement as Dr. Petersen's skilled hands work the life saving procedures he had performed a hundred times before. The medical staff carry out his orders and repeat readings and vitals to him as they change. They continue to try to warm up Captain America with heat lamps and blankets.

The medical staff continues to monitor Captain America as his vitals continue to rise when, suddenly he gasps in air as though he had just emerged from the ocean. Out of instinct, he jumps up off of the table, knocking the nurses and doctors out of his way as he runs for the door. Through the shock and chaos, one of the doctors hits the alarm to signal the crew that there was an emergency. Just as quickly as the button was hit, a security crew begins to flood the doorway. Captain America doesn't even flinch and takes out the first one with a quick right hook as he pulls his iconic shield off of his back. With a strong flick of his arm the shield is sent flying into an unlucky soldier as he begins to advance toward the defensive Captain. The shield lets out it's iconic ring as it hits its target, sending him flying to the ground, and returns smoothly to the Captain's hand. He continues to take out the security team swiftly and efficiently as though he had been up and fighting yesterday. His smooth and calculated movements manage to evade the onslaught of attacks aimed at him by the dozen or so soldiers surrounding him. Each punch and and kick that Captain America throws is deliberate and purposeful. He makes it through the door and runs down the corridor, leaving a path of battered and bruised soldiers in his wake.

"Hm, pretty good for an old guy." Stark remarks as he presses a button on his seemingly ordinary watch. "JARVIS, I'm going to need my party clothes."

"They're on their way, sir, " the artificial intelligence known as JARVIS replies through the watch. "Do try not to break anything sir."

"Who, me?" Tony asks with a mischievous tone. "JARVIS, you know that I work with the utmost subtlety and restraint. Besides, this guy is an antique. Didn't even have cell phones, let alone Iron Man armor, when he was alive. This will be over before it even starts."

"Of course, sir" JARVIS replies with as much sarcasm as an artificial intelligence can.

As fast as the button was pushed, pieces of armor begin to fly toward and surround Stark's body until the Iron-Clad Avenger is battle ready. As the last piece of armor locks into place he rockets down the corridor after the stray Captain America. He touches his comm link on his helmet and issues a ship wide announcement.

"Attention crew, Captain America is loose on the ship. He is confused and may be injured. Contain him with as little force as possible. Set your rifles on stun and use them as a last resort.

Iron Man finally catches up to the raging Red, White, and Blue Avenger as he is engaging a group of soldiers trying to keep him from making it to the launch bay.

"Geez, this guy is going to get himself killed," Ironman sighs to himself. "He has no idea what he's facing with our specialized training and tech advancements we've discovered since his lifetime in the dark ages."

"Don't hurt him!" Iron Man shouts as rifle fire begins down below.

"Don't hurt HIM?" a soldier exclaims as he narrowly dodges a shield to his face. "Are you watching the same fight here Iron Man? Tell HIM not to hurt US!"

As Captain America is making his way through the horde of soldiers to his goal of the launch bay and escape, Iron Man drops in right behind him and manages to lock the American hero's arms behind his back.

"Cap! You're not in any danger here. We're not your enemy. You're safe!" Iron Man pleads as he struggles to keep his arms behind him. "We need to get you back to the medical bay to make sure you're alright."

Without saying a word, Captain America shifts his weight and throws the Iron Avenger over his back and into a group of soldiers standing by, freeing his arms, and runs through the launch bay doors. On his way through he hits the control to close the doors as rifle fire follows him in.

"Well that was embarrassing" Tony remarks no on in particular as he struggles to his feet.

"I believe that you just got served, sir." JARVIS remarks over his helmet comm.

"Thank you for your commentary, JARVIS. It was a lucky move," he sighs as he rushes into the launch bay as the doors begin to close. "Keep those doors open, JARVIS!"

"Sorry Sir, but it appears that the controls have been damaged from rifle blasts. There is no way for me to keep the doors open. Might I suggest you step on it."

"You got it JARVIS"

With that Tony rockets his way into the launch bay just as the doors close behind him. The empty launch bay echoes as Captain America runs across the floor toward one of the escape pods. Stark hovers above the Super Soldier as he runs across the bay when he sees 3 rogue soldiers pursuing him. But something's not right. Two have broken pursuit of Captain America and are running toward the external launch bay doors instead. The other one makes his way up a cargo bin and takes aim at Captain America with a rifle that is for sure not standard Stark Industries issued.

"Cap! Look out!" Iron Man yells as a blast is sent right at him from the rogue soldier.

Captain America turns and raises his shield with lightening reflexes right at the last second, deflecting most of the blast, but still taking a hit in his side. The force of the blast knocks him back into one of the neighboring cargo bins. Iron Man sends out a well aimed blast from his repulser ray and takes out the sniper before rushing over to the injured Captain America as he is struggling to get back on his feet.

"Cap, take it easy," Tony says as he catches the struggling hero. "You dodge all those shots from those soldiers only to get hit by one yahoo hiding on a cargo box?"

Captain America quickly spins around and strikes Iron Man with the back of his shield as he backs away from him, hiding his plasma burn from the rifle strike with his shield.

"Listen mister," Captain America says in a voice that can't help but command respect. "I don't know who you are or what you want with me, but because you gave me a heads up with that sniper-fella I'm going to give you 60 seconds to explain yourself before things get unpleasant. So who or what are you? Some kind of Hydra drone?"

"Hydra? What? No," Tony stammers. He raises his face shield from his helmet and looks Captain America in the eye as he struggles to find the words to say. Thoughts begin to swirl in his head. How to tell this man that his whole world doesn't exist anymore, that he's missed the last 70 years. He doesn't want to freak the guy out. He doesn't want to overwhelm him with the situation. Would he even believe him? Tony was in the situation and he still wasn't sure he believed it. In typical Stark style he decides the direct approach is best.

"Look, my name is Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man. Here's the deal; This might be hard to believe, but we pulled you out of the ice about 12 hours ago. You've been sleeping for the last 70 years, Cap. We all learn in grade-school history how Captain America gave his life in service to his country. They searched for your body for months after you went down, but they never found you. We stumbled upon you during an oceanic expedition and were shocked to find out you were alive. I know this is a lot to take and probably a pretty big shock, but right now there is something fishy going on here and I need you to stick with me so I can figure out what exactly is going down. That guy that took a shot at you, he's got a couple buddies running around in this launch bay and my men can't get in here because the controls to open the door are fried. So how about we work together and figure this thing out and then I will help you in anyway I can."

Tony is a little shocked to see that Captain America hasn't even flinched at the news he just told him. Although his demeanor is showing unwavering confidence, Captain America's mind is racing with questions. Is this really Howard's son? He looks like him and for sure acts like him. How is it even possible that he could have survived in the ice that long. Where is he right now and how is he going to get out of this. He pushes those questions aside, stands his ground and weighs his options and whether or not he can trust this armored man.

"Alright soldier," he says as he stares Tony down. "That's a pretty tall tale. I'm not saying I believe a word you're saying, but I'll help you catch these guys…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tony interrupts, "I just need you to stick with me so you don't get hurt, okay? Just let me handle this."

"Alright, I will stick with you, but know this," Captain America replies as he takes an aggressive step closer to Tony. "I trust you about as far as I can throw you and this is your one and only warning: If you are some kind of Hydra goon, don't even think about double crossing me because you will live just long enough to regret it."

"Well, you already threw me once and you threw me pretty far, so that must mean that you trust me a little." Tony replies cheekily through a crooked grin.

Captain America, not quite fully appreciating the Stark snark yet, walks away, as serious and stern as ever.

"Hey! Wait! You're supposed to stick with me, remember?!" Stark remarks as he runs to catch up.

The mis-matched pair make their way to the other end of the large launch bay as they weave through boxes and escape pods. In typical military fashion, Cap holds up his fist to signal Tony to stop as he trails behind him. Cap carefully peers around the cargo bin and sees the two rogue soldiers working on a control panel. He moves so Tony can take a look. As he moves aside he braces himself against the cargo bin and tries to catch his breath as the adrenaline begins to wear off and the weakness combined with the pain of the rifle strike begins to set in.

"They're trying to access internal controls from that panel," Tony says trying to keep his voice low. As he turns back around he sees Captain America holding himself up against the cargo bin and catches a flash of the wound on his side.

"Cap," he whispers, "You're hurt. You stubborn old geezer, why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm fine," Cap groans as he turns and stands to face Tony. "What do you think they're trying to access on that panel?"

"There's any number of things they could be looking for," Tony answers trying to examine the wound as Captain America bats his hand away. "Look, lets just sit here for a second and think."

"I don't need to sit down Iron Man," Captain America insists. "We need to shut these guys down. The longer we wait, the more of an advantage we're giving them."

"Again, WE are not doing anything. You're a tag-along, remember? Now please, sit so I can figure something out here."

Captain America grudgingly sets himself down and leans against the cargo bin next to Tony, trying not to show what a relief it is to take the pressure off of his side. Iron Man decides to try to capture the soldier working on the control panel when the other soldier leaves to do his perimeter check.

"This is a bad idea," Captain America remarks. "Those weapons could do a lot of damage if they get the upper hand."

"What? This is a brilliant idea," Tony counters with confidence. "They might have some big guns, but we've got Iron Man. I stop this clown from doing whatever it is he's trying to do on that panel and we capture a prisoner and get him to tell us what the hell is going on here."

Cap reluctantly times his perimeter check of the first man and figures he leaves every 7 to 8 minutes for about 5 minutes and then returns. Not much time to work with, but hopefully enough. Once the man leaves to walk his perimeter, Tony makes his move and grabs the soldier working on the control panel from behind. He knocks his rifle out of his hand and sticks his hand in the mans face as his repulser begins to glow as it powers up.

"Alright buddy, what are you doing to my ship?" Tony asks, knowing he only has a short amount of time before the man's partner comes back. "Who are you working for?"

"Fool! You are too late!" the man cackles. "The wheels are already in motion, Heir Stark. Hydra will destroy you and Captain America before you have a chance to reach the surface!"

Just as Tony was about to ask another question, he hears Captain America jump out from behind the bin and the clang of his shield. Tony turns to see a rifle blast narrowly miss hitting him and hitting the control panel instead as Captain America jumps on the returning patrol soldier.

"Too slow," Cap replies as he limps past Tony to the control panel.

"You fried the control panel. And I told you to stay behind the cargo bin."

"I tried, but I had to jump in a save your behind. Better to fry a panel than your head"

"I had it under control! I knew he was behind me. I was just waiting for the right moment to strike."

"Sure, but you know, the right moment would have been BEFORE he fired his rifle at you."

"Was that sarcasm?" Tony asks in amazement. "Good for you old-timer."

Ignoring Tony, Captain America walks over to the remaining prisoner and grabs him by the collar and lifts him up.

"What were you and your little comrade planning? What are you up to, Hydra scum?"

No answer from the man. Just a smug smirk. In frustration Cap slams him against the wall. In a swift motion the rogue soldier breaks a capsule he was hiding in his cheek.

"You are both doomed. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail, Hydra" he chokes out with his last breath.

"Cyanide capsule," Cap sighs as he walks away. "You're going to have to figure out what he was up to on your own, Iron Man."

Tony heads over to the fried console and plugs in a few cords from his armor into the damaged panel.

"Uh-oh," Ironman says.

"What uh-oh," Captain America asks as he walks over to the sparking screen.

"The last command they punched in was to over-ride the safety lock on the launch bay doors," Tony replies as he continues to sort through the information displayed on his armor's screen. "They managed to turn off the force shields surrounding the launch bay doors and they've started a count down to open up the doors to flood the ship.

"What? Why?"

"That crazy Hydra soldier said that we would never reach the surface with you. They must have somehow found out that we found you in the ice and wanted to make sure that you were no longer a threat. You're very obviously are still alive and kicking. They must have been sent here to take you out, even if that means killing everyone on board this ship."

"How could they have known you found me? You said you pulled me in 12 hours ago and you didn't even know I was alive."

"Hydra has spies everywhere. I hate to say it, but it's possible they've even been able to infiltrate my company on some level. We pulled you out 12 hours ago, but we discovered you 24 hours ago. Plenty of time for Hydra to sneak a few of their spies onboard my ship and make sure you weren't going to be a threat and, if you were, to take you out."

"This is because of me," Cap says as the wheels begin to turn in his head as he tries to think of a way to fix this. "Is there any way to stop the doors from opening?"

"No, but I think I can turn the force shield back on the keep the water back. It's a temporary fix, but it will buy us some time. I need to climb into the vents below the launch doors and see if I can restart the shield manually. What I am going to need you to do is to stand here at this panel and keep your hand on this lever. It will keep the shield from turning on before I make my way out of the vents so it doesn't completely obliterate me and it will also divert power from the doors to slow the rate the doors open. So, it's a very important lever! Don't let up on it until I'm out."

"Alright, I've got your back Iron Man."

"Good. Here's a respirator just in case I don't make it back before the water is over your head, but hopefully the water won't come in too quickly. The air pressure in here should slow the flooding as long as the doors don't open too quickly. Hopefully I will be out before it has time to reach your waist. Once I am out, release the lever and brace yourself. The shield will hopefully only need a couple seconds to reboot, but I'll hopefully be back by then and can grab you before the water floods in and hopefully the emergency drains will release the water we take on before the room floods."

"That's a lot of "hopefully's" soldier."

"Would it make you feel better if I say "probably"?."

"Um, no."

"Don't worry Cap, I trust you about as far as I can throw you, and I could throw you pretty far," Tony remarks through another crooked grin.

"That's never going to happen," Cap says, still unamused. "You'd better get going. I don't really feel like drowning today."

"Remember! Don't let up…."

"...On the lever, I know, I know! Get moving!"

Without another word, Iron Man races into the vents under the door to try to find the panel he needs to restart the shields. He makes his way through 2 panels that are not the ones he needs as he moves on to the next panel. Ocean water begins to flood the vents. The doors have started to open. Tony knows he's running out of time. Tony checks the next panel and then the next and the next. He finally finds the one to turn on the shield. As he works on the panel, Captain America is holding his own against the icy waters, which have risen up to his thighs, and is quickly draining what remains of his strength. He struggles to keep his hand on the lever as the water is rushing into the room, threatening to sweep him away. The doors have risen about 2 feet since Tony left and they are slowly continuing to rise. The water continues to flood in and is now about to his waist, but he stands his ground, using every ounce of his wavering strength to hold onto the lever, knowing that Iron Man is counting on him. He quickly puts on the respirator Iron Man gave him and braces himself.

Down below Tony finally gets the shield rebooted and begins his trip back to the launch bay. Debris has fallen to block his path back as the water flooded in and his trip back is taking longer than expected.

Up above, the water level is now half way up Captain America's body as he winces in pain when the icy salt water floods his wound. The doors have now opened about 3 feet. He waits and watches for Ironman to emerge, unsure of how much longer he can fight the current of water continuing to rush in. The flowing water begins to bring chunks of debris flying past Captain America and one knocks the respirator off of his face and into the water. The soldier shakes off the impact of the debris and tries to refocus while holding onto the lever. At the very last possible second, Iron Man emerges from the water just as Captain America's strength is spent and he is swept away with the incoming current of water. The shield begins to show signs of trying to reboot after he releases the lever, but not before the launch bay doors fly open, flooding the room much more quickly than anticipated. Iron Man catches a glimpse of Captain America struggling to hold onto a piece of debris before is dragged under the water by the undercurrent.

"Cap!" Tony yells as he dives in after him realizing that he doesn't have his respirator anymore.

Below the water is a maze of floating cargo bins, escape pods, and other debris. The water is cold and dark and it's difficult to see. Tony flips on his search light and shines it into the dark waters, but sees only debris. Cargo bins and escape pods are swirling around and banging into each other as the emergency drains have kicked in to try to expel the water that has flooded the room. The shield must have kicked on because the water is beginning to drain, but not quickly enough due to the debris is blocking the drains. Iron Man knows that he's got to find Captain America soon before he runs out of air or is crushed between the swirling, gigantic escape pods and cargo bins. He frantically searches the dark waters. Tony begins to lose hope when he sees his search light reflect off of Cap's shield in the distance, his body pinned under a large beam. He propels himself over to him and grabs the beam and tries to lift it, but it's too heavy. He quickly takes in a deep breath and unclips his respirator from his helmet and places it on the unconscious Captain America, unsure if he is breathing. He grabs a nearby metal pole and tries to use it as leverage to lift the huge beam. An escape pod is quickly drifting toward the pair, threatening to crush them if they don't move soon. Iron Man gives a final push with the help of the jets on his boots and manages to lift the beam just enough to pull Captain America out from underneath the crushing weight. He wraps his arm around his chest and rockets out of the way just as the pod crashes into the floor space they were just occupying. Tony knows that Cap has been under the frigid waters for too long and he needs to get him to the surface.

"JARVIS," Ironman gasps as he reaches the surface with the half-drowned Captain. "Is he breathing? Is he alive?"

"I am not detecting any breathing patterns, sir," JARVIS replies. "And the Captain's core body temperature is dropping to a dangerous level.

"Dammit. I've got to get him out of this water."

The room is only about 1/4 of the way drained and there is still no way out of the room until the door is fixed. Tony lifts the lifeless body of the super soldier onto his shoulder and propels both of them out of the water and lands on the Cargo bin. As he tries to balance on the bin he pulls off his helmet and listens for a heart beat, breathing or any signs of life. There is a faint, slow heart beat, but no breathing. He quickly begins CPR, firmly pressing Captain America's chest, counting reps in his head. He tilts Cap's head back and breathes a few breaths into him, then returns to pumping his chest.

"Come on Cap," he yells as he struggles to do CPR on the unstable box. "Come on! You can't freeze to death and drown after surviving being frozen in the ice for 70 years!"

With a final breath Captain America jerks back to reality and coughs out a good amount of water and gasps for air as Tony turns him on his side.

"Easy buddy, I've got you. Just breathe. JARVIS, where are we at with Cap's temperature?"

"94.1 degrees and falling sir."

The water is about 1/2 way down the room and dropping when, suddenly, a pod crashes into their make-shift raft as the two are thrown back into the icy waters. Tony grabs onto Captain America and swims them both back to the surface and tries to keep Cap above water, weaving in-between bins and pods as the bitterly cold water continues to drain.

"Status, JARVIS"

"The water is nearly 60% drained sir."

"Ugh, that's not fast enough. What about Cap?"

"Breathing is still shallow sir. Internal temperature is at 94.0 and falling. Condition is critical. Hypothermia and possible coma will set in soon if temperature is not corrected."

"Alright, desperate times call for desperate measures."

Tony finds a large piece of wood floating on the water. He pulls Cap's body out of the water and lays him in the middle of the board. He blasts the surrounding debris away as best as he can before diving back into the frigid waters. Tony weaves his way through the debris and makes it to the bottom of the room where he begins to clear away the debris blocking the drains. The water begins to rush out the cleared port and Iron Man quickly makes his way back to the surface. The water level has already dropped significantly and he quickly rushes back to Captain Americas side, relieved to see that he has stayed on the drifting board.

Finally, the doors open and the rest of the water rushes into the corridor and continues to drain out the emergency drains. Quickly, Iron Man scoops up the injured Captain America and rushes him back to the medical bay, but finds that the room is empty.

"Where is everyone," demands Stark as he lays the critical Captain America on a hospital bay table. "We need help in here!"

"Everyone except security personal were evacuated after the launch bay was flooded," a soldier reports. "We've put in a call to Dr. Petersen to port over right away for a medical emergency, but he is dealing with other medical emergencies that occurred after the ship nearly rolled when the bay flooded."

"We don't have time for this!" Tony exclaims in frustration.

He quickly begins to try stabilize Captain America as best as he can until the doctor arrives. Cap is still barely breathing, so Tony places an oxygen mask as he tries to dry him off and begins to turn on any heat lamp he can find in the medical bay.

"JARVIS, update"

"Temperature is stabilizing at 93.8 sir."

"We need to get his body to kick in and warm himself up. He's too cold"

Tony runs and empties every drawer he can find and quickly covers the quickly fading Captain with blankets. All he can do now, is wait. Soon, after he covers Captain America he begins to shiver as his body finally kicks in to try to warm himself up.

"Finally," Tony says with a bit of relief in his voice. "JARVIS, status?"

"94.7 and rising sir."

"Good. Now that his body is taking care of his temperature, lets see what this wound looks like."

Tony proceeds to see if he can inspect the wound now that Cap isn't able to swat him away. He carefully peels back the fabric of Cap's uniform to see if he can get down to the damaged tissue. The heat has fused part of the fabric to the gaping wound on his side. He gently begins to peel the fabric back and cuts away the dead tissue that's it's adhered itself to. The unconscious Captain stirs and winces a little as Tony exposes the wound and gently pours saline over it to clean it out.

"Sorry Cap, but it's got to be done. Stay with me. You know if you had let me look at this an hour ago it might not hurt so much. Just saying, even though you can't hear me right now to know that I'm right."

Tony's no medical expert, but he knows that the wound is deep. He wraps it and binds it as best as he can and continues to monitor his internal temperature and heart rate over the next hour. By the end of the hour Cap's temperature has risen to 96.7 degrees, his color is returning and his breathing is beginning to improve. Tony begins to change the bandages as they have soaked through the ones he placed earlier when Cap reaches out and grabs his arm.

"I….t-told you….I'm…f-fine…," Cap shivers through the oxygen mask as he struggles to open his eyes.

"And I told you, you're a stubborn old man. Now, relax. You need to rest and save your strength. Dr. Petersen will be here soon."

"Tony….thank you."

And with that simple word of thanks, Captain America drifts back into a deep sleep as Iron Man watches over him. Tony replaces his bandages again and his temperature continues to improve.

After his patient seems to have somewhat stabilized, Tony hops into a neighboring bed to try to rest before he needs to change out the bandage again. After what only seems like a few minutes, Dr. Petersen wakes him and gets the full debriefing of what happened. He checks Captain America's vitals and examines his wound as Cap sleeps soundly, unresponsive to the activity around him.

"Well, you did pretty good here "Doctor Stark," Dr. Petersen jokes to Tony. "Overall he seems to be doing quite well. You've got his temperature back to an acceptable number, his breathing has stabilized, and his wound has been well cared for, but will likely need some surgical repair once he's recovered more. I am impressed Tony."

"Thanks doc, but I'm going to leave the medical business in your much more capable hands."

The next morning Captain America is still weak and exhausted, but the doctor is concerned about waiting any longer to repair the wound as it is beginning to degrade. Dr. Petersen decides the risk of waiting is higher than the risk of surgery. Cap is cleared for the procedure and they move him out to prep him for the procedure. The surgery is fairly uneventful and Cap is out and in recovery within a few hours. Dr. Petersen walks in to check on his sedated patient. He gently lifts up the bandage to inspect the incision, checks his pulse, and jots down a couple readings onto a chart. As he leaves, Tony walks in.

"He should be waking up soon," Dr. Petersen comments as he passes Tony and he gives him a nod.

Tony takes a seat beside the sleeping super soldier and waits for him to wake. They have the Captain propped up in his bed, breathing in and out slowly through an oxygen mask as he's recovering from his surgery. IV's are hooked to fluid bags and monitors are softly beeping as they read vital signs. Tony still can't believe he's sitting next to a man who was frozen for 70 years, nor can he believe that he had grown on him. There are not many people Tony Stark legitimately likes, but he liked Cap. Tony watches the stars come out as the sun begins to set on another day. Soon after he sits down, Captain America begins to stir.

"Good morning, old-timer," Tony chimes with a big smile. "Or more like 'good evening."

Slowly, Captain America struggles to open his eyes, squinting from the bright light streaming in through the harsh ceiling lights. His vision soon begins to clear as he wakes up to see Tony walking over to dim the lights, seeing that he was struggling with the bright lights. He returned to the chair with feet kicked up on his bed while he helped himself to the jello cup on the table.

Captain America groans as he comes to, half due to pain and half to annoyance. "How long was I out?"

Cap rubs his head, trying to bring himself to he senses, as he tries to sit up.

"In and out for the last 12 hours or so," Tony replies, placing a hand on Cap's shoulder, helping him to lay back down. "Relax, what do you have against sitting and laying down?"

"Too much to do," Cap says as he reluctantly lays back down, wincing from the shooting pain in his side from the freshly repaired wound. "But this time I might need to sit down."

"Hm, finally deciding to cut me a break and listen to me?" Tony asks as he sits back down in the chair and scoots closer to the bed.

"No, I just figured I would go easy on you," Captain America replies through half-lidded eyes. "It looks like you've had a long day. You look awful."

"Why thank you for your consideration," Tony says as he gives Cap a little nod. "We can't all be super soldiers, you know." There's a short moment of silence as Tony thinks, his mind going a million miles a minute. Finally he looks at Captain America, who is almost sleeping again, and breaks the silence.

"Cap, listen, I have a question."

"Tony, I think we're past being formal. Call me Steve." Captain America says as he stirs back to awareness at Tony's question.

"Steve, I know you've been through hell and back over the last 24 hours, but once you've had a chance to heal and adjust, I want you to join the Avengers team that we have put together."

Steve looks down at the IV in his arm and stares for a moment, lost in thought. Once again, Tony is a little shocked at how little this question has affected Steve. Finally, Steve answers, but without looking at him. He keeps is gaze down, as though he's ashamed. "Tony, I don't know if you remember who you're asking, but I've no idea what this world is like or if I can even be an asset any longer. Like you said, I'm a tag-along. Old fashioned. A man out of time."

"Listen, I don't say this often, so enjoy it now because it may very well never happen again, but I was wrong. You're not a tag-along."

"Tony, you don't have to…"

"Listen, do you trust me?"

"My memory of the last 12 hours is a little fuzzy, but if I am remembering yesterday correctly, I'd say you earned some trust."

"Good, I was hoping you would remember most of that. If you trust me, then trust me on this. I want you on my team. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise. You saved my life yesterday by putting your own at risk and we barely know each other. You could have let go of that lever any time after I reactivated the shield, but you didn't. You held on and almost died because of it. I've seen you fight and I've seen your loyalty and I don't' have any hesitations on asking you to join our team."

"Tony, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just promise me you'll think about it."

"I can promise that," Steve replies quietly.

They both sit in silence for a few minutes. Not awkward or uncomfortable, but quiet and contemplative silence. Steve was so still and quiet that Tony thought he might have fallen asleep again.

"Steve?" Tony quietly asks, wondering if he was still awake.

"Yeah," Cap replies through closed eyes

"Have you thought about it yet?"

"You're ridiculous," Steve sighs quietly.

Another moment of quiet follows.

"Steve?"

"Hm?" Cap grunts, half asleep.

"I think we're going to make a great team."

"Mm-hm," Steve mumbles, not really listening anymore.

"Steve?"

"…."

"Goodnight," Tony whispers.


	2. A New Start

**New Start**

Lightning flashes across the sky casting eerie shadows on the walls. Rogers lay in his bed, trapped in a restless nightmare. His head jerks, his breathing is quick, and his eyes flutter as the overwhelming wave of images come, one after another. Images of Bucky hanging onto the train as he dangles high above the cliff, the metal pipe that was the only thing between him and death was beginning to falter. With terror in his eyes and Steve's hand inches from his, Bucky struggles to hang on. Steve reaches as far out as he can as he risks his own life to get closer to his best friend all while the train speeds along the tracks. No matter how far Steve stretches out his hand and how far he climbs out on the shaky chunk of train car, he never seems to get any closer. The sound that Steve was dreading finally comes - the metal creaks under the weight and breaks away from the train, sending Bucky into a black abyss.

A streak of lightning flashes across the sky, releasing another memory, causing Rogers to toss from his back onto his side. Sweat beads on his forehead and Steve clutches the blanket in his fists. "You were meant for more than this" echoes through his mind as Peggy's beautiful face, half covered by her wavy brown hair, comes into view. She's sitting at a table, alone, in an empty Stork Club. Chairs are stacked on top of the tables as an employee sweeps up the floor to close down for the night. Tears fill Peggy's deep brown eyes. Memories strobe across his vision, flashing between Peggy's face and images from the war. The images stop and Peggy's face comes into view again as she begins to slowly turn her face to look at Steve as if he were sitting across from her. "You missed our dance." She says as a tear falls from her eye. Steve tries to speak, but nothing comes. He tries to yell, but no sound escapes. He wants to pull her into his arms and tell her how sorry he was, but there's only silence. Another memory flash comes and intercepts Peggy's teary eyes as Schmidt appears with an evil laugh echoing in the distance before fading back to Peggy. Suddenly, Bucky appears behind Peggy, emerging from the darkness, soaked to the bone and half frozen. He was pale with tattered clothing hanging from his thin body. Peggy slowly stands as more people from Steve's past begin to walk into view. The Howling Commandos, Dr. Erskine, Howard Stark. As they come into the light their faces are revealed, half decomposed with flesh hanging from bone. Some have gunshot wounds riddling their emaciated bodies and others are missing limbs. Lightening flashes as Peggy's once flawless face is now distorted like the rest of his friends. Marked with death and disease. "You left us Steve. You left all of us," She says as she walks closer. "You left me." Steve's heart breaks as she says these words. "Now you're alone. Come back to us, Steve. You left your grave when you should have stayed in the ice." Peggy's decomposing hand reaches out to Steve and she gently caresses his face. She steps back and the whole horde of people who were once his friends begin to close in. Steve tosses in his bed, mumbling in his sleep as he tries to escape the ever tightening grip of his past, trying to plead for forgiveness, to make them understand. But no words come to him as he tries to scream through the silence. The room turns black and Steve is suddenly being grabbed and pulled back down into the dark icy waters by the hands of his friends front he past. Steve begins to panic as he struggles to break free.

Lightning streaks across the sky followed by a boom of thunder. "No!" Steve gasps and shoots up from his bed, startled out of his nightmare, panting and covered in a cold sweat. Memories of the icy water that surrounded him send shivers through his body. The rain is beating against the windows and lightning continues to flash while echoes of gunfire, men yelling and grenades exploding fill Steve's ears. Rubbing his face in his hands, he tries to bring himself back to reality. He brings his knees up to his chest and wraps himself in his blanket as he tries to control his shaking. Steve looks around the room to reassure himself that he's not living in the nightmare he just awoke from. All he sees is strange furniture, an unfamiliar skyline outside the window, and someplace that isn't home. Tony had insisted he come live with him, Pepper, and the other Avengers at Stark Tower at least until he decided what he was going to do and where he was going to go. Steve had hesitantly accepted his offer and had been staying there for the last two days since leaving the hospital, moving in with only a small duffle bag filled with two sets of sweats and white t-shirts from the hospital to his name. Steve was still adjusting to everything. Tony's place was fancier and had more tech than anything Steve had ever seen before and he was honestly still trying to figure out how things worked in the house.

"Sir, are you alright?" the computer voice of JARVIS asks as Steve nearly falls out of his bed at the unexpected voice. He was still trying to get used to JARVIS.

"Um, yeah, JARVIS," Steve says, feeling a little foolish for talking to someone that wasn't really there. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Sir. Can I get you anything Captain Rogers?" JARVIS asks.

"No, thank you JARVIS. I'm fine."

Steve knows that he won't be able to get back to sleep even though he was only just able to fall asleep a couple hours ago and is mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. Over the last two days he's probably only slept about 7 hours. Rogers gingerly rolls out of the bed, his side still a little sore from the wound where he had his surgery. His bare feet hit the frigid floor and makes his way for the door. He quietly opens the door and walks down the hall to the elevator. Steve had been sneaking up to the rooftop terrace to watch the sun rise ever since he first started staying with Tony. He would watch the sun rise and then make his way back downstairs before anyone noticed he was gone. He didn't want to worry anyone or explain why he was up at such an early hour. Going up there and being out in the open air seemed to help calm his nerves and collect his thoughts. The warm summer breeze was soothing and the sunrises were always beautiful. A far cry from his terror and death filled nightmares.

Up on the rooftop terrace it was still and quiet. The night sky was still full of rain clouds and thunder rumbled quietly in the distance as the storm was beginning to roll away with the coming morning. It was nearly 4 in the morning and the sun would be rising over the city skyline soon. Steve found the lounge chair under a sheltered area that he had been visiting every morning for the past couple days and settled his tired body in. He gazed out into the night as the stars began to shine through the clouds. The eventually stars faded into orange, red, and purple streaks as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Steve was lost in thought, thinking about his nightmares that plagued his sleep and what he was going to do now in this new world that was so far away from anything he knew. Tony wanted him to join his team called the Avengers. Steve had met the members of the Avenger's team when he first moved into the tower. Hawkeye introduced himself first. He seemed like a man that was cocky and not someone you wanted as an enemy. Steve talked aiming and technique with Clint and how arrows and shields compared. Natasha, also known as Black Widow, was about as intimidating as any man Steve had ever met. She had been quiet and reserved, studying him, when they were first introduced, obviously suspicious. Steve smiled at her, sheepishly, as he said hello. He seemed to charm his way through her icy exterior. Thor was next to introduce himself. He was about as tall as Steve and just as strong, maybe stronger. Steve could tell just by shaking the man's hand. He was very enthusiastic and welcomed Steve with open arms, literally. Thor had grabbed up Steve in his huge arms and shouted, "Welcome Captain! Or Spangly One as the Man of Iron calls you!" Steve smiled and thanked Thor as he awkwardly hung in mid air during the hug. Once his feet were back on the floor he met the Hulk. Hulk was definitely taller and stronger than Steve. He looked up at him and the Hulk didn't make a move at all. He just stared Rogers down with a suspicious and untrusting eye. There was a long silence between the two until Steve finally decided to take a step toward the giant green monster and extended a hand without saying a word. Hulk eyed the offer with a look of doubt and suspicion. He slowly lifted his own enormous hand and grasped Steve's, covering his entire hand and almost half his forearm. He gently shook the smaller man's hand, grunted, and left. Tony had assured him that that was one of the best meetings Hulk ever had with someone new. Steve later met Banner after Hulk had calmed down.

Steve had started to form a friendship with Tony, but he still didn't really know anyone else. Literally, he knew no one else. For the first time in his life he felt like he was directionless. With his mind racing, Steve eventually relaxes as the warm summer air blows across his face. He sinks into the cushioned lounge chair and watches the sun rise. Exhaustion and weariness finally overtake him and he starts to drift into a light sleep.

Steve's uneasy dozing is interrupted after what feels like only a couple minutes. He feels something shake his shoulder and, out of instinct, he quickly jumps up and grabs the hand on his shoulder and has the arm behind the back of whoever it belonged to in half a second.

"Ow, hey!" Tony yells as he tried to escape the grip. "Easy Cap, it's just me!"

Steve snaps out of his haze, suddenly realizing that he had fallen asleep and didn't made it back down to his room before everyone had gotten up for the morning.

"Tony?," Steve replies through a sleepy fog.

"Yes, it's me. Will you let me go, please?"

"Sorry," Steve says as he releases him from his grip. "I don't know what got into me." Steve sits down and runs his fingers through his hair.

"No worries Cap. Believe it or not, that wasn't the worst "good morning" greeting I've had," Tony smiles and sits in the chair across from Steve, stretching out his sore shoulder. "Steve, what are you doing up here? Pepper was worried when you weren't in your room and you hadn't come down for breakfast. She was so worried, she woke me up and made me look for you."

Steve stands up and walks over to the edge of the terrace. "I just came up to watch the sunrise," Steve says simply, not really wanting to say more. "I must've dozed off."

Tony looks at him, knowing there is more to it than just that, but doesn't push the matter. "Well, the sun has risen, it's nearly seven in the morning and Pepper is "making us breakfast." Tony says as he makes air quotations.

Steve doesn't really understand what that means, but he is a little worried.

Tony and Steve make their way down from the terrace to the kitchen in the penthouse. Black smoke billows into the elevator when the doors open. Tony and Steve cough through the smoke and slowly walk into the kitchen where the smoke alarm is blaring.

"Don't say a word," Pepper's voice comes through harsh, frustrated, and in no mood for one of Tony's smart comments that she knows is coming. He had told her to just let JARVIS make breakfast, but she insisted on making a meal from scratch for Steve to help him feel at home.

"I wouldn't ever dream of it," Tony says and he opens a few windows and turns on the vent above the oven to try to disperse the smoke. "You're meal is looking wonderful, darling."

Pepper shoots Tony a look that Tony can't really see through the dark smoke, but he doesn't need to. He continues to open windows in silence.

"I was whisking eggs when I completely forgot the bacon on the stove top when it just burst into flames," Pepper sighs as she pulls a burned pan off the stove top with something black and crumbly scalded to the bottom "I just wanted to make you a nice breakfast, Steve." Pepper looks over to the super-soldier who has a big grin on his face. He walks over to Pepper and gives her a hug.

"This is just like what our house looked like when my mom used to make me breakfast when I was a kid," Steve says as he embraces Pepper. "She was no Betty Crocker, but she did her best. Thanks Pepper."

Pepper looks at Steve and smiles through wet eyes and she gives him a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Well," she begins, "Lucky for us we have JARVIS as back up for breakfast this morning."

Soon after the kitchen disaster there is the delicious smell of bacon, eggs, pancakes, fruit, waffles, and coffee. The aroma soon spreads though the whole penthouse floor and the other Avengers are lured from their rooms into the kitchen. Thor is the first one to make his way down. As chipper and bright as ever, he puts together a large plate and fills his coffee mug and sits at the table with the three. Banner comes in next and grabs a plate to food and some coffee and sits himself down next to Tony as they talk about some new article that was released in some sort of science journal. Steve is still getting used to seeing Banner instead of the Hulk since he had changed from their first meeting. It amazes Steve that a man who is so smart and soft spoken and just down right pleasant could be harboring a Hulk on the inside. Clint shuffles in next, not saying a word, eyes half open while grabbing a cup of coffee and sits at the end of the table. Natasha brings up the end of the train as she wanders in, grabs coffee and some eggs and sits next to Pepper. As the coffee cups are slowly emptied, conversation begins, other than Thor constantly talking of course, and Steve enjoys listening to everyones stories and how everyone does their best to annoy each other every chance they get. It reminds him of his friendship with Bucky.

Soon, everyone seems to notice that Rogers hasn't said a word since they have sat down for breakfast. The super soldier is sitting at the end of the table, staring into his coffee cup, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Steve suddenly realizes that the chatter has stopped and he looks up to see concerned looks directed toward him. Steve feels himself blush a little as he looks around, feeling a little uncomfortable as he doesn't know what to do or say.

"Hey Cap," Clint says, seemingly in a better mood since his cup of coffee, "tell us about yourself. What do we need to know about Steve Rogers?"

"What do you want to know?" Steve asks as he shifts in his chair and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Where did you grow up?" Natasha asks. Steve is pretty sure that was the most he had heard the woman say since he first met her.

"Brooklyn," Steve replies with a smile. "Born and raised."

"Family?" Tony asks as he shovels a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Only child," Steve answers taking another sip of coffee.

"Any other family?" Bruce asks.

Steve pauses for a moment. "My father died when I was a kid. My mother was a nurse and picked up TB. She couldn't shake it and ended up dying shortly after my dad. "

"Who took care of you after your parents?" Pepper asks, horrified at the thought of little Steve not having parents to care for him.

"I grew up in an orphanage across town," Steve replies as his eyes shift from Pepper to his plate. "That's where I met one of my best friends. We looked out for each other. Well, he looked out for me a lot of the time."

"Was that Bucky?" Clint asks. Steve looks up at him with surprise. "What? I read the file SHIELD had on you when you became Captain America."

"I didn't realize I had a file," Steve says, looking out the window. The past memories of growing up with Bucky began to flood in. "Yeah, that was where I met Bucky."

There is a bit of a long pause when Tony finally brakes the silence. He is good at that. "So, what was it like when you first became Captain America?" Tony asks, trying to change the subject.

"Yes!" roars Thor. "Please Captain, share with us a story of one of your many glorious battles!"

Steve sits for a second, and then looks up. "Maybe a little later" Steve answers quietly with a weak smile as he stands up from the table. "I think I need to get a little air. Thank you again for breakfast Pepper."

Rogers picks up his plates and brings them over to the sink while the Avengers at the table exchange concerned glances with each other. Steve rinses his plate and walks into the elevator.

"We're all idiots," Tony sighs flatly and he rubs a hand across his eyes.

"What?" Natasha asks. "We just wanted to get to know the guy. If he's going to be on the team we want to know something about him other than the obvious."

"But we asked all the wrong questions," Bruce says, agreeing with Tony. "The guy just woke up 70 years in the future. We can't expect him to be an open book on day three of his new life, especially with questions about his past."

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Pepper asks.

"This is the Man of America, is he not?" Thor replies. "A great warrior and force to be reckoned with. Surely he shall be fine."

"He will be Thor," Tony says as he stands from his chair. "We're going to make sure he is."

….

Steve has made his way down to street level and decides to take a walk around his old neighborhood. The hope of seeing something familiar is quickly crushed as he makes his way through the strange streets. All the little mom and pop stores have been switched out with large department stores and skyscrapers. Television screens replaced the old billboards and water towers, mannequins were displayed in windows with scraps of fabric, most of which would have been a stretch to pass as a shirt in Steve's day, being sold as dresses. People are rushing by him without a smile or hello. All running through their day either coming or going from something, cell phones in hand either checking emails or texts or on a call. Steve's world was frozen in time for 70 years and now it is rushing by him faster than he can keep up with it.

Steve sits on a bench and watches the world run about it's business on another day in present day New York. Rogers begins to think about the decisions that are ahead of him and the past that was behind him. Steve knew that if Bucky were here he would tell Steve to quit being a bum. Bucky was the only one who always believed in Steve and was always on his side. It was then and there that Rogers decided that he was going to try to make the most of this second chance. He wasn't really sure how he was going to do it, but he would figure out a way. Rogers starts to walk down the street back to Stark Tower. He has been gone for quite a while now and figures he should be getting back.

On the way back to the Tower, an explosion erupts from a nearby building that sends people screaming and running down the street as the whole block feels like it is shaking. The force of the explosion throws Steve into a wall and he falls roughly to the sidewalk. Steve struggles to get to his knees, his vision is blurry and his ears are ringing. Chunks of concrete and shattered glass rain down and he covers his head with his hands. People are laying injured in the street. Steve is pretty certain that he dislocated his right shoulder from the impact, but he makes it to his feet to try and see what exactly had happened.

The building that had blown up was a small Asian market. The building is unstable and beginning to crumble. Produce, dry goods, and other foods are scattered along with the brick and glass on the street. Six men emerge from the chaos wearing masks and military camouflage. Each is armed with automatic weapons, knives, crowbars, and hand guns. Steve watches them come forward from the disaster behind them as the biggest guy steps forward and begins to shout over the chaos.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen!" he shouts above the screams and sirens. "My name is Crossbones and we are a small part of a much larger body called The Order. We are dedicated to keeping our great country pure! This city has been stained with the masses of immigrants and those who seek to take power away from the American people! We still believe in the potential of this country, but we must take up our arms and fight to protect her from the terrorists who seek to destroy her from the inside out!" he continues as he points his gun at an Asian woman and her small child.

The man's speech and execution are sharply interrupted when a stray hubcap flies into his face with a clang. "This country doesn't need help from people like you," Steve shouts as he quickly plants himself in between the woman and the barrel of the man's gun. "The only terrorists I see here are you six."

"You protect this scum that pollutes your country?" The man snarls as he wipes the blood from his nose and mouth. "These creatures that steal our jobs, pollute our culture, and threaten our very way of life? You are willing to stand and put your life between them and us?"

"Always," Steve replies as he readies himself for a fight. "As long as there are fools like you who threaten to destroy the freedom of this country and harm the innocent, I will always stand between you and them for as long as I live."

"Hm, that may not be for much longer" the masked man smiles. "Get 'em boys."

Steve is really wishing he had his shield right now as the five other men surround him with their weapons ready - crowbars, knives, and guns. Crossbones watches with an evil smirk on his face. The first man lunges at Steve with a chain in his hand. He raises his hand and tries to strike Cap with it, but the Captain is too fast and grabs the chain and uses the other man's momentum to launch him over his head and crashing into another man getting ready to stab Steve in the back. Steve's shoulder throbs from the movement, but swings around to take on the remaining three when he feels a sharp punch to his side. One of the men is able to get off a shot, hitting Steve in the left side. Steve falls onto his back and the man with a crowbar runs up to him and strikes him in his wounded side. Steve tries to hold in a cry of pain as the man comes back at him again for another blow, but Steve is able to grab the crowbar mid-swing and kicks his feet out from underneath him as he lands flat on his back. The two men that Steve had taken out have recovered and have returned to their friends. One of them takes a run at Steve as he's struggling to get back on his feet and swings his knife at him, catching his arm and then slicing across his chest. Steve stumbles to the ground as one of the men takes aim with his hand gun, getting ready to deliver the final blow. Steve stares him down, unflinching, when a flash of red and gold flies past his vision faster than Steve can comprehend. The whole group is stunned, including Steve, when arrows fly into two of the men's arms from out of nowhere. The ground shakes and a great roar fills the air when Hulk crashes onto the scene and rushes over to the collapsing market to try to give the people still inside time to escape. Widow guides the confused and scared civilians out of the building as quickly as possible. Thor brings lightning down upon the group of terrorists, scattering them. Clint runs over to Cap's side and tosses him his shield.

"Thought you could use this," Clint smiles and extends a hand to help Steve up.

"Thanks," Steve says in a groan as he grabs hold of Clint's hand, leaning on him for a moment as he gathers his strength.

"Are you good, Rogers?" Clint asks, looking at the large blood stain on the side of Steve's white shirt.

"Fine," Steve grunts. "Just help me pop my shoulder back in quick," Steve says as he holds his arm out to Clint.

"Are you sure about this?" Clint asks. "Its going to hurt like hell.

"It's the only way I'll be able to throw my shield," Steve insists as he braces himself.

Clint grabs Steve's arm firmly and braces his foot against Steve's leg. With a swift motion he jerks Steve's arm forward and feels a sharp pop as his shoulder is jerked back into it's place. Steve doubles over after letting out small cry of pain. Steve lingers for a moment as he pulls himself together and looks up to Clint and says, "Alright, let's take out the trash."

"….really Cap?" Clint asks with a raise brow. "Super old school line."

"It wasn't old school the last time I used it," Steve says, looking a little disappointed.

"Come on, old man," Clint laughs.

The team gathers together after all the civilians are safely out of the building and the group of men responsible for the chaos have also regrouped.

"You okay Cap?" Iron Man asks as he keeps his repulser rays aimed at the men.

"I'm fine," He winces. "Let''s just finish this."

"We shall stand with you Captain," Thor declares, his hammer ready for battle.

Tony could tell the super soldier was obviously favoring his shoulder and was breathing heavier than normal. Iron Man had every intention of finishing this fight quickly, but before he has a chance to act, Crossbones steps forward with something in his hand and shouts "We're willing to die for our cause, are you?"

"He's got a grenade," Widow yells as they run for cover. Captain America winces in pain as he throws his shield at the man knocking the grenade out of his hand, sending it flying into the air. The grenade detonates, blowing out windows and shaking the buildings and city street and also sends both groups flying back in separate directions. Rubble and debris rain down to the ground as both groups struggle to get up. Crossbones stands to his feet, the rage burning in his eye as he yells, "What have you done!? You've ruined everything!" He runs for Captain America. Cap takes his shield and quickly shoves it into the incoming man's face, sending him flying back. Cap then jumps onto Crossbones, pinning him to the ground with his shield pressed to his neck.

"Still willing to die for your so-called cause?" he growls to the man as he struggles uselessly under Captain America's weight. No answer comes as he stares at the Super Soldier with hate in his eyes.

"You wear the colors of this country and fight in her name, but you bring shame to her by supporting the scum that are destroying her," Crossbones snarls at Captain America. "You are not worth to wear that flag," he spits.

"I fight for the American People," the Super Soldier says quietly, but with conviction as he stares the man down. He leans over and gets face to face with Crossbones. "I've fought against people like you before. They lost 70 years ago and you will lose today." Cap raises his shield and slams the edge of it into the ground near the man's head. Crossbones flinches and lets out a pathetic whimper. "That's a promise," Cap whispers. "Get up," he orders as Crossbones struggles to his knee. He quickly grabs a knife out of a holster around his ankle and buries it into the side of Steve's thigh.

"Cap!" Tony shouts as he sees the knife plunge into his leg. Captain America drops to his knees from the sudden sharp pain and Crossbones quickly grabs an automatic rifle that was left on the street from the blast. Clint quickly jumps in front of the wounded Captain America and lets loose an arrow that hits its mark, lodging itself into Crossbone's shoulder. Iron Man then shoots the gun out of the man's hand with one well aimed shot from his repulsers while Hulk makes sure that he stays down this time. With one swift punch he sends the man flying across the street. Thor and Natasha cover the other remaining terrorists and make sure they sit the rest of the fight out.

Tony and Clint rush over to Steve as he is trying to sit up to reach around to pull the knife out.

"Stand down, solder," Tony orders and he gently pushes Cap back down to the ground, his face twisted into a painful grimace. The knife was a short blade and Tony pulls it out in one quick motion. Steve bites down on his lower lip trying not to let any noise escape as Tony pulls it out, but a strained gasp escapes his lips as Cap clenches his fist and hits the ground. "Sorry," Tony replies as he quickly takes the strip of fabric Clint had ripped off of his sleeve. Tony ties a tight knot around the wound while Captain America tries to breath though the pain with the pressure on his leg.

"Looks like the gun shot wound is a through and through," Clint says as he examines the Captain's side. "You're going to be bruised as hell though. We need to get you back to the Tower."

"I'll be fine," Cap says flatly. "I'm a fast healer. Just help me up."

Clint helps the Super Soldier up to his feet and helps support him as he stands. The police began to clear out the six men in cuffs as they are taken into custody.

"So, are we walking home?" Steve smiles a tired smile and limps slowly down the street with his arm clutched to his side, still sore form being wrenched back into it's socket.

"Nope," Tony replies as he presses a button on his wrist. Before their eyes a small aircraft uncloaks itself. "We saw you getting your butt kicked on the news and rushed over in style to save your behind."

"The only ones who got their butts kicked are those six fellas back there. They're going to be hurting in the morning, I can promise you that." Steve says proudly as they board the jet.

"Yeah, they're not the only ones who will be hurting tomorrow," Tony says. He eyes the large gash across Steve's chest. "We need to get you back to the tower."

"I told you," Steve starts. "I'm a….

"We know, we know," Natasha mocks. "You're a fast healer and a macho man. Blah, blah, blah. Just get in the jet."

"It was truly a glorious battle Captain," Thor replies with a laugh. "We were able to fight along side you and defeat the villains who dared attack our city. But the battle is over and now it is time to rest and heal so that we may be ready for the next battle!"

"Alright, alright. I give up," Steve surrenders and smiles at his team. He reluctantly sits on the medical table in the jet. His face turns serious as he stares down at the floor while Clint opens up a medical pack to start cleaning out the slash on his arm and chest. Steve raises his head and looks at his team. "Thank you, for backing me up out there."

"We've got your back, Cap," Widow replies and Steve thinks he actually sees a hint of a smile on the stern woman's face.

They make it back to the mansion uneventfully and Bruce and Tony help get Steve into the infirmary. A sling for his shoulder, some bandages, and a number of stitches later, Steve is patched up. Bruce firmly insists he stay inside the medical bay for at least a day to make sure that he is healing properly, but Steve firmly declines. He eventually cuts a deal with Banner to rest in the main living area for the remainder of the evening where Bruce can keep an eye on him when he notices the other man's skin turn a little green with the frustration. The day is coming to an end and Steve is laying in on the couch with his eyes closed, but not sleeping. He has an icepack that Bruce made him place on a very dark purple bruise that had appeared over his forehead above his eye. Bruce had just left after checking Steve's pulse and changed out the bandage on his leg, as it had already soaked through. Tony walks into the living area with a glass of water and sets it on the end table above Steve's head next to the couch.

"You know, you're pretty tough for an old guy. Good work out there today, Cap" Tony says as he flops down into a chair across from the couch.

"You too," Steve softly replies, wincing a little as he turns his head and cracks an eye open to look at Tony.

"So, have you given any thought to my offer?"

Typical Tony. Just jumping straight to business, no fluff or small talk. "I have," Steve answers, closing his eyes again, making Tony wait and squirm.

"And?" Tony asks impatiently, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Steve takes in a deep breath. "Today made me realize something," Steve slowly starts as Tony falls back into the chair, exasperated that Steve won't answer his question. "I realized that this world, as different as it is when I last saw it, still has men who stand for evil. Even some of the same evils I fought against 70 years ago. But there are also people who stand up and fight for what's right, just like there were back in my time. Men and women like the Avengers. I've been given a chance to make a difference now and I can't ignore it or waste it." Another long pause comes.

"So…," Tony pauses for a moment. "Does that mean you're saying yes?"

Steve doesn't answer and Tony thought he had fallen asleep.

"Cap?" Tony prods Steve's non-dislocated arm in disbelief. "Cap?" Tony stands up in frustration and runs his fingers over his face with a groan as he starts to leave.

"Yes." Cap finally answers quietly with his eyes still closed, but a smirk on his face.

"Say what now?" Tony asks as he quickly turns around and stares at Steve over the back of the couch with an annoyed glare on his face.

"The Avengers," Steve says, opening his eyes and looking at Tony from behind the icepack. "I've got your guys' back."

"And we've got yours, Cap." Tony says as his glare turning into a smile.

Tony leaves the room and Steve lays on the couch thinking about getting up and going to bed, having fulfilled his commitment to Banner after spending the evening in the living room. For the first time since he arrived, his bed was calling his name. Steve lays there for a few more minutes and eventually exhaustion catches up with him and he falls asleep still holding the icepack on his bruised forehead. Tony comes by to check on Steve before he goes to bed, and finds the Super Soldier sleeping on the couch for real this time. He throws a blanket over Steve, carefully takes the icepack away from his hand without waking him up and lays his hand across his chest. He turns off the lights in the living room before retiring to bed. Bruce walks by and is surprised to see that Steve is still on the couch. Banner walks over and checks Steve's vitals and gently pulls up the bandage covering the bullet wound on Steve's side to check for bleeding. Bruce is relieved to see that the bleeding has slowed down substantially. Steve takes a deep breath and shifts a little. "Hey doc," he whispers quietly through half lidded eyes.

"Hey Cap," Banner says while he replaces the bandage. "Sorry to wake you. How are you feeling?" He places a hand of Steve's forehead.

"Never felt better, Doc," Steve answers as he shifts to get up.

"You're a horrible liar," Banner says with a smirk on his face and puts a hand on Steve's non-injured shoulder to ease him back down. Steve winces from the movement that jars his achy body.

"Maybe I'm a little sore," Steve quietly admits as he sinks back into the soft couch.

"Get some sleep, Steve," Bruce orders as he stands up.

Steve nods and relaxes, falling asleep almost immediately.

Steve sleeps soundly on the couch through the entire night for the first time since he was pulled from the ice a few days ago, finally beginning to find peace in his new life and his new team.

…..


	3. Welcome to the Future

**Welcome to the Future**

Steve wakes up feeling refreshed the next morning. It takes him a second to remember he had fallen asleep on the couch. He lifts his arms to stretch out his body and wake himself up, but quickly finds out that was a mistake when he winces from the shooting pain in his shoulder and side. Steve looks at his side and the bruises have extended out past the bandage and his shoulder is still throbbing. Steve gingerly rolls off of the couch and is suddenly reminded of the knife puncture to the side of his leg. He is healing, but he's got a little ways to go. He limps his way over to the kitchen, grunting and wincing with every step as he holds his arm up to his chest to try to take the pressure off his shoulder.

He finally shuffles his way to the kitchen and tries to remember how to work the coffee maker like Pepper had shown him how the other day. He starts to press some buttons and fills it up with water. He shuffles his way over to the cupboard and picks out the little brew cup that goes into the coffee maker. Steve is feeling accomplished until he realizes the coffee cups are on a top shelf. He tries to lift up his left arm to grab a cup, but his ribs protest with the reaching motion. Steve doubles over for a second to try to calm them down and take pressure off of his side, breathing through the discomfort.

"Need some help, Spangles?" Tony asks as Steve whips around, startled that Tony has been standing there.

"How long have you been standing there?" Steve snaps, leaning on the counter for balance and a little annoyed that Tony saw him doubled over.

"Long enough to know that you can't reach the top shelf right now." Tony answers with a crooked grin. "You know JARVIS will make you a cup of coffee in the port." Tony points to a small silver door on the wall next to the fridge.

"I wanted to make it myself," Steve says with a frown.

"Geez, what is with you and Pepper and wanting to make things yourselves?" Tony asks shaking his head.

"Will you just get me a coffee cup, please," Steve says flatly.

Tony walks over to the cupboard and grabs a coffee cup and hands it to Steve. The Super Soldier proudly takes his freshly made cup of coffee and tries not to limp as he makes his way out to the balcony and awkwardly and painfully sits down in the patio chair. Tony is right on his tail and makes a move to help him down, but Steve shoots him a look that makes him think twice. Finally settled in, Steve sips his coffee and enjoys the warm summer breeze.

"We've got a meeting we've been called to, Cap," Tony announces as he take a sip of his own cup of coffee.

"What meeting?" Steve asks suspiciously. "I don't know anyone else other than you guys."

"That's true, but there are people who know who you are and they want to talk to you."

"Who?"

"Fury. Director of SHIELD," Tony replies and can already tell what Steve's next question is. "SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. They are a top secret agency that deals in national affairs often involving superhuman and paranormal threats. They saw the news yesterday and they want to talk to you."

Steve sits in silence and gazes out over the city skyline. "That's who Clint said has a file on me."

"Clint and Natasha are both SHIELD agents as well as Avengers," Tony replies. "SHIELD was born out of the old SSR that my father started back after the war.

"What do they want with me?" Steve finally asks.

"I don't know," Tony admits. "Fury said he wanted to meet with you personally."

Steve is uneasy for the rest of the day. He doesn't know who these people were, what they want with him or if they are trustworthy. Bruce insisted again that he rest until the meeting that night to try to speed up his healing, but his mind was too busy going through all the possibilities of what the meeting was about and how it would end. Steve spent the rest of the day worrying and limping painfully throughout the tower trying to keep busy. The time finally came for them to leave. Tony and Steve jump into the Avengers Jet and take off. Steve has no idea where they are going. Tony was just flying into blue sky as they started gaining altitude. Once they are above the clouds, an unbelievably huge ship starts to appear before Steve's eyes.

"What is that?" Steve asks with wide eyes.

"That, Spangles, is the SHIELD Helicarrier."

"Whoa."

"'Whoa' is right. She's top of the line tech and nearly impenetrable. One of the most secure facilities in the world."

"You helped build it, didn't you?" Steve asks flatly.

"Yup," Tony remarks proudly as he sets down in a launch bay. The two of them walk into the bay and down a hall. One quick elevator ride up and the two of them find themselves in a small, sterile, gray room with a table and two chairs. Steve gingerly sets himself down in the chair and Tony sits next to him and they wait. A few minutes later, Fury walks in. He stares at Rogers with a look that Steve isn't really able to read. There aren't many people Steve can't get a read on and that makes him nervous.

"So, Captain America," Fury says as he sits in the chair across the table from them. "You've been hanging out with Tony Stark for only three days and he's already managed to break something"

"I didn't break him," Tony remarks. "He was attacked and saved a lot of people while your agents were sitting around twiddling their thumbs."

"My agents have been busy tracking down the whereabouts of a dangerous criminal that could threaten national security," Fury countered. "Hence, why I called you two here."

"Are you sending us on a mission," Tony asks suspiciously.

"Yes, if you are willing to accept it," Fury states, looking at Rogers. Steve holds his gaze without flinching. Fury eventually slides a file across the table with a name on it: Justin Hammer.

"Justin Hammer," Tony says with a look of disgust on his face. "What is this joker doing that is affecting national security?"

"He's creating and selling weapons to a group of rogue soldiers in Russia who are keen on tearing down their current government and bringing back their good old friend, communism. A communist Russia run by insane, trained military men armed with cutting edge tech is not a good thing for anyone."

"First off, if Hammer is making the weapons, it's not going to be cutting edge. Nothing Hammer does is cutting edge because the man is an idiot. Second, why do you need the Avengers for this? Why not send your SHIELD agents in to take care of this since they have obviously been so busy gathering intel on the situation."

"We have sent agents in to deal with the situation," Fury replies with a grim look on his face. "They've missed every check in time since they've been deployed. None of them have reported in or made any attempt to contact us in over forty-eight hours. Something has gone wrong and we need to head off this problem before it becomes a disaster."

"We'll do it," Steve finally says.

"What?" Tony yells. "Who is we?"

"_I'll_ do it," Steve says as his eyes shift to Tony. "If those agents are still alive, they need help and these people need to be stopped before innocent people are harmed."

Tony holds his head in his hand and Steve stands up to exit the room.

"Wait. If you're going to do this mission, you're going to need some equipment to help you out. Hammer's tech, although not taken seriously by some," Fury looks at Tony while Tony rolls his eyes at him, "They're still weapons that are in the hands of some bad people. You're going to need some tech of your own."

Tony and Steve look at each other and Tony is pretty sure that this is the first time he's seen Steve look worried. Fury loads Steve up with more gadgets than he knows what to do with, literally. There are little silver boxes that crack computer codes and hack computer systems, watches that have a GPS, whatever that is, and monitors vitals and also doubles as a communication device and compass. There were also a couple small boxes that contain explosives and a couple guns with buttons and knobs on them that Steve had no idea how to use. All of these things were shoved into a pack and given to Steve. Fury walks back into the room with another pack and hands it to Rogers. He takes it with a questioning look on his face. What more could they possibly give him?

"You're going to need this too," Fury says with a smile.

Steve unzips the black pack and opens up the top. He smirks and gives a little laugh. He pulls out an updated version of his Captain America uniform.

"It's got kevlar woven into the fabric to make it stab and bullet resistant, the cowl is fabricated to withstand a considerable amount of force to help minimize head trauma, and there is a belt filled with survival supplies and some other gadgets that our techs though would be helpful to you."

Steve repacks the uniform and shakes Fury's hand. "I'll do my best to bring your agents home and finish their mission."

"I know you will. Rest up. You fly out tomorrow night under cover of darkness."

Steve and Tony head back to Stark Towers in the jet. Steve is fiddling around with the stuff that SHIELD gave him. He pulls out the watch and starts pressing buttons and shaking it to try to figure it out. He gives up and moves onto the little silver boxes that Fury said that would decode a lock and hack into a computer system. There are spaces where cords pulled out with various plugs attached to them. Steve studies the device curiously as he tries to understand what to do with it.

"I'm going with you," Tony finally blurts out, breaking the silence.

"What?" Steve asks without looking up from his little silver box.

"I'm going with you on the mission."

"I thought there was only me, not us."

"Well, now there's us. You're obviously in way over your head." Tony grabs the silver box from Steve and presses the power button to activate the device. Steve raises an eyebrow and stares at the screen that has just lit up and is displaying a bunch of different options that Steve still doesn't understand. "You're going to need help against Hammer if you can't even figure out basic SHIELD tech."

"I seem to remember you saying that nothing Hammer made was cutting edge, so I shouldn't have any problems, right?"

"Dammit Steve, this guy is an idiot, but he's a dangerous idiot. And these people that he's helping mean business. They've got tech and weapons that you're seventy years behind on and they're not going to give you time out to figure it out. They will kill you Steve." Tony's voice is laced with concern and worry. Steve stops fiddling with the box and looks at Tony.

"Tony, I know they're dangerous. This isn't my first mission and it's definitely _not_ my first fight. I know how to take care of myself. I've been fighting bad guys for a long time." Steve smiles at Tony trying to get him to relax a little.

"You fought bad guys for a little while. The majority of the time you were frozen in ice. You're not even at full strength yet. You think some rogue communist is going to help you reach a coffee cup off of a high shelf?"

"I'll be healed up by tomorrow night," Steve says confidently. "Why are you so jittery about this mission?"

Tony sighs and runs his hands over his face and lets out a frustrated growl. "Steve, things are different now-a-days. People are ruthless. They don't play by the rules of war. They don't value human life. They don't care about anything but themselves and Hammer would not give killing you a second thought if it meant it made him money. These people are evil, Cap. They're bastards with tech that is more advanced that anything you've seen before and you're going to charge in there with a bunch of crap that Fury gave you that you have no idea how to use on top of having a bum shoulder and leg, a suit that is bullet/stab _resistant_ and a giant dinner plate that you call a shield. So, yes, yes I am worried."

"Look, I appreciate your concern Tony. I'm glad that you've become so fond of me so quickly and the thought of losing me works you into a tizzy," Steve says jokingly as he bats his eyelashes at the very annoyed man as he continues to fly the jet. Steve couldn't resist giving Tony a hard time for a change. "But the Nazis and Red Skull were not exactly saints. I'm not ignorant to evil Tony. I've seen it, I've fought it and I've beaten it. As far as the tech goes, technology doesn't always trump good old fashioned guts"

"You beat it when you were on equal ground. With the tech that Hammer has you are at a considerable disadvantage and, if you're not careful, your 'good old fashioned guts' will end up all over the floor."

"Well then, it's a good thing that you're coming with me then." Steve smiles.

"You are trying to annoy me on purpose, aren't you?" Tony grumbles.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

The two land the jet and Steve spends the rest of the day reading over the intel that SHIELD had collected before their agents disappeared and Tony spends the rest of his day in his lab, working on nothing really. Just trying to keep his mind busy.

Clint walks in to find a very frustrated Tony working away at his gadgets. "Hey, I heard that you and Rogers were called into SHIELD today. Word is that you guys are being sent out on a mission."

"Yeah," Tony says not lifting his eyes from his work station. "Fury gave our Captain a mission out in Russia to shut down a terrorist ring that Justin Hammer has been selling weapons to. Your brilliant director is sending Captain America, who barely knows what a cell phone is, out to fight a group of people with tech supplied by the second best manufacturer of high tech equipment on the market." Tony throws whatever he is putting together across the table in frustration.

"And this is upsetting you," Clint asks and slowly takes the screw driver out of Tonys hand and sets it down on the table.

"No, I'm absolutely thrilled that our little Captain is flying out on his first mission in 70 years to fight an army that is decades ahead of him."

"Don't you think you're over-reacting a little?"

Tony shoots a look at Clint that makes him rethink his approach.

"Tony, Steve can take care of himself. He doesn't need you and Bruce mother-hen-ing him to death."

"We do not mother-hen him," Tony defends.

"Oh, you don't?" Clint asks with a raised eye brow.

"No," Tony says with a little less conviction as he shuffles over the last week in his mind.

"Hm, lets review," Clint replies as he starts to wander around the workshop. "You made him move into the Tower immediately after he was discharged from the hospital."

"He needed a place to stay!"

"There are no shortages of apartments in New York, Tony. Second point: You've been having JARVIS track his eating and sleeping habits.

"I have done no such thing!"

"Tony, I'm a master spy. Do you really think I don't know that you've been tracking all of this?"

"Alright, since the first night he came here I knew he was having trouble sleeping when I came up after working late in the lab and he was sneaking up to the roof top. He doesn't think I know what he's been doing, but last night was the first time the man has slept through the night since he got here. And he didn't eat anything for the first day he was here!"

"Oh yeah, you don't mother-hen him at all Tony," Clint rolls his eyes, but starts again before Tony has a chance to counter. "Last point: Bruce made him sleep on the couch last night so he could keep an eye on him. He also got up 5 times during the night to check on him."

"How do you know…." Tony started

"Master Spy, Stark."

"Okay, so maybe we are a little worried about Rogers. But come on! In the last week since he was pulled out of the ocean, he's nearly drowned, he was nearly overcome with hypothermia, was almost blown up, he's been shot twice, dislocated a shoulder, stabbed, and has had more stitches than I can count. This is all in ONE week!"

"I will give it to you that he's had a bad week, but that doesn't mean that he's going to nearly die on every mission that he goes on. I mean, he's not going to stay under the shelter of the tower for the rest of his life. He's going to go on missions eventually, either through SHIELD or through the Avengers. You're the one who asked him to join the team. What did you expect?"

"I don't know. I thought if he were on the Avengers I could keep an eye on him. Keep him out of trouble, but I'm not doing a very good job so far."

"That's not your job, Stark. Steve's a big boy, he can take care of himself. You're going to have to accept the fact that he could get hurt or even die. We all could. It's part of the job, Tony."

Tony braces himself with both hands on the work bench in front of him and hangs his head. Clint is not saying anything that he wants to hear, especially right before Steve is going out on a dangerous mission. Tony finally lifts his head and looks at Clint. "He's just a kid, Clint. I mean, how old is he? 26? 27 at the most? He just jumped out of the 1940's into the future and he's been frozen longer than he's been alive."

"To be fair, he's been frozen longer than you've been alive."

"That does't make me feel better."

"Listen, Rogers wants to do this. You're not going to be able to stop him. You're not going to be able to keep him in a bubble for the rest of his life and you're not going to be able to protect him from everything. I know you guys have gotten close over the last few days and you've got a connection with him since he was part of your childhood with your father, but you need to let him live his life. We'll all be there for him when he needs us, but he's a grown man and he can take care of himself. I know that doesn't make you feel better, but you're just going to have to accept it."

"You know you're much less fun when you're trying to be logical and not just shooting things."

"And you're a lot less fun when you're stressing out and not just being Tony."

"Thanks, Clint."

"Anytime, Tony."

Steve decides to start up to bed after reading over the SHIELD files for the last few hours. It was getting to the point where his eyes wouldn't focus on the documents any longer. Steve stands up, his body still achy, and shuffles down the hall to his room. He changes into his usual white shirt and boxers. Steve lays in his bed for a long time before finally drifting to sleep. His night was restless and his usual nightmares were mixed in with worries about the mission tomorrow. The morning finally comes and Steve is up early and he limps his way up to the roof to watch the sun rise again. His shoulder and his leg feel much better, but his side is still a little sore. Steve enjoys the warm morning breeze as the sun starts to peek above the horizon. It was nearly 7am and Steve forces himself out of the comfy chair and makes his way downstairs. He makes coffee and decides to make toast. It seems easy enough since it was the only appliance that seems to have not really changed too much since he last saw it.

The rest of the day passes slowly, but the time finally comes for Steve and Tony to go. Steve gathers the pack that Fury had given him and walks onto the launch pad in his new suit. Tony is a little shocked when he sees Steve. He hasn't seen him in the suit since he first got it. He is surprised how much it reminds him of his father and how much it makes Steve look like the hero from his past.

"Looking good, Spangles," Tony replies with his usual sarcasm.

Steve ignores the remark. "Are we ready to go?"

"All set."

"Room for one more?" A voice calls from across the launch pad.

"Clint?" Steve asks with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Going with you guys on a mission," Clint says as he throws his quiver over his shoulder.

Steve can tell that he isn't going to be able to talk the archer out of tagging along. "The more the merrier," Steve replies.

"We'll be at our drop point in a few hours," Tony reports while he punches in a few coordinates into the ship's computer.

The flight is a little rocky at first. Clint holds the jet steady through the turbulence. Tony sits in the co-pilot seat keeping an eye on the control panels for the ship. Steve is strapped into the back seat and is going over everything he had read on the files in his mind. His mental review of the files is interrupted when the ship suddenly dips to the left, sending Steve backwards into the side of the jet.

"Looks like we've got some trouble," Tony shouts, throwing on his helmet.

Clint is struggling to dodge the missiles being fired at the jet. "How were they able to pick us up on their sensors? Our cloak was on. There's no way they should have been able to detect us."

"Hammer," Tony snarls. "He must have figured out a way to scan for cloaked ships. We need to land somewhere before they blow us out of the sky."

"No," Steve orders. "I've got a plan."

The attacks rock the ship and lights up the sky. One of the shots finally hits its mark and the ship is blown to pieces, creating a large fireball in the sky and bits of debris are sent flying to the ground. The missiles stop and the night sky is quiet again.

"Fury's going to have to pay me back for that," Tony states as they descend with Clint in tow.

"I have a feeling that's going to be the least of our worries," Cap says flatly as he lands gently down and pulls off his parachute.

"Setting the jet on auto pilot to give us the element of surprise was fast thinking, Cap," Clint says, jumping down from Tony's grip.

"We're going to need every advantage we can get at this point. We just lost our ride back," Rogers sighs.

"Well, we'd better start walking," Clint says as he starts making his way up the steep snowy hill.

The three men begin trudging though the knee high snow while pushing themselves up the hill. It is a dark, cold, miserable climb. They finally reach the top and are able to see the lay of the land. To the left there is a large frozen lake that is probably about 3 miles across with a few patches of thick forest surrounding it and had some rough looking terrain beyond. To the right is a tree line that looks to go on for miles and miles. It is so thick that they can't see anything past the tree tops. Straight ahead the hill slopes down into a valley and ends abruptly with a sheer rock face. The base of the rogue soldiers is established at the top of the cliff, tucked into an area that is surrounded by open land on one side and the start of another cliff on the other side. It is very strategically placed. It would be next to impossible to climb the cliff, the approach from the right side is blocked by the second cliff and the open side provides no cover at all. To top it all off the whole camp was patrolled by at least a dozen soldiers, with undoubtedly more inside, and is completely fenced off with razor wire. This isn't going to be easy to break into. These guys are well prepared, strategic, and paranoid. The three men stand at the top of the hill in silence, each thinking of a way they could break into this place with the least amount of risk. Steve knows that they have to do this smart. One mis-step and they let the whole base know that they had survived the plane crash and they would lose their only advantage. The strategy part of Steve's brain starts kicking it into over drive. They are out numbered, out gunned, and their chances of success are slim.

"I've got another plan," Steve whispers with a smile and shifts his gaze from Tony to Clint. Steve quickly goes over what he wants Clint and Tony to do. When he is done explaining and Steve is sure that they understand what their tasks are he stands up and walks over to the edge of the hill where is begins it's steep drop down into the valley.

"So, we know what we're doing," Clint says, "But what exactly are you going to be doing and how is all this going to get us into the compound?"

"Well," Rogers starts as he pulls the shield from his back. "My plan won't get us into the compound."

"What," Tony says, confused. "You're a master tactician and your master plan isn't going to get us into the compound, which is our ultimate goal? How exactly are we supposed to bring these guys down without getting in?"

"I said my plan wouldn't get _us_ into the compound," Steve says as he looks at them over his shoulder. "But it will get me in."

Before either one of the other men have a chance to say anything, Steve jumps down the slope of the hill and lands on his shield in a kneeling position. He can hear Tony yelling his name in the distance as he speeds down the slope, dodging trees and rocks with a big smile on his face. A quarter of the way down the hill he's sliding down at breakneck speed. He hears Tony come in over their comm-link as Steve shifts his weight to dodge another rock sticking up out of the snow.

"Rogers!" Tony yells in Steve's ear so loud that he nearly clips a tree. "What the hell are you doing!? Do you really think that you're going to storm that compound by yourself!?"

"I'm not storming the compound by myself," Steve calmly replies while he dodges a few more trees and rocks that are speeding toward him. "I've got you and Clint watching my back. Just don't let them see you and we'll be fine!"

"You're officially the worst strategist I have ever met!" Tony yells. Steve can tell that he's not at all happy and, if he didn't know any better, a little concerned too. "You need to stop this and get back here so we can come up with a plan that has an actual chance of working.

"Just trust me, Tony. I've read over the files and intel on this place five times over. This will work, but I need you to do what I told you to do. I'm depending on you and Clint! Do you have my back?"

"Since when are you the one that gives orders, Rogers?" Tony exclaims. "I know you think this 'plan'….."

"…Yes. We've got your back, Cap," Clint interrupts Tony over the comm.

"Good, now get to your posts!" Steve orders. He is now almost 3/4 of the way down the hill and grabs a large, dead branch hanging loosely from a tree. He spins himself around so he is sliding down the hill backwards, takes the stick and jabs it down deep into the snow to start to slow himself down. He's going much faster than he had anticipated and is quickly approaching the jagged rock face. He pushes the stick into the ground with even more force trying desperately to slow down, when it suddenly snaps in half. Steve quickly spins back around to face forward again, grabs hold of the shield's straps and tips his body back onto his back and rolls over onto this stomach as he continues to speed down the hill. He then pushes his shield as deep into the snow as he can as he begins to slow down, but it's not enough. He pulls the shield from the snow at the last possible second and pulls his body into himself as much as he can and holds his shield in-between himself and the oncoming cliff. Most of the force from the impact is absorbed by the shield, but it still knocks the wind out of Steve's lungs as he bounces back from the collision. Steve pulls himself up onto his hands and knees as he tries to catch his breath and shake the stars from the edges of his vision.

"Glad Tony wasn't here to see that," Steve groans to himself. After a minute he stands up and looks up at the dizzying climb ahead of him. He straps his shield back on and starts his ascent.

While Steve is climbing up the cliff, Tony and Clint are making their way through the forest around on the right side of the landscape. They try to keep as close to the ridge of the valley as possible to keep from getting lost in the dense forest. Tony is looking down into the valley trying to keep an eye on Steve as he was sledding down the hill. He's lost track of him a couple times, but he eventually sees him scaling up the cliff.

"The kid is crazy," Tony mumbles to himself.

"That may be, but this is the only option that we have that has a chance," Clint says as he ducks under a row of low branches. "You're just crabby because you didn't think of it_ and_ he outsmarted you."

"I'm not crabby, Barton." Tony snaps. "And even if I was crabby, telling me I'm crabby won't make me un-crabby and telling me that Steve pulled one over on me will for sure not make me un-crabby."

"Whatever you say, Mother Hen," Clint smiles. He enjoys harassing Tony every chance he gets. Tony just shoots him a death glare as the two continue on their trek in the deep snow.

The two men continue on to their destination. The climb is steep and there are a couple times that Clint has to jump on Tony's back while he carefully jets both of them up some of the very sheer cliffs with the jets on his boots. They don't dare do this too often as they are very close to the compound now and they don't want to make too much noise. They make it to the top and walk over to the edge of the cliff and carefully peer over the edge. The compound is about 70 feet directly below them. Tony and Clint quickly get to work setting up explosives all along the ridge of the cliff.

Steve has made his way up about 3/4 of the cliff face by the time Tony and Clint have made it to the top of the cliff above the compound. His shoulders and legs are burning from the strain of the climb and he is beginning to lose feeling in his hands from the constant white knuckle grip and the cold. Steve makes it to a ledge that is about 30 feet from the top of the cliff. He pulls himself up and just lays on his back, resting and trying to catch his breath before engaging the compound. He can hear the men walking around outside of the fence above him. He quickly rolls and presses his body as close to the cliff wall as he can when a soldier suddenly peers over the cliff edge directly above Steve. Roger's holds his breath until he hears the man walk away. Steve hadn't realize that his whole body had tensed up until the man walked away and he relaxed and rolled away from the cliff face. He looks up again and large snowflakes began to fall. It is pitch black outside and the stars and the moon are out in full force tonight. Steve can see some of the security lights shining over the edge of the cliff. He knows he is only going to get one shot at this. He knows that the soldiers are equipped with automatic energy rifles with advanced targeting systems which means they didn't even have to aim to hit him. They just had to pull the trigger. They are also protected with nearly indestructible body armor that is made out of a new lightweight metal compound that Hammer had formulated. The cost of manufacturing was to expensive for the army, but criminals have deeper pockets than the military. Steve never though he'd see the day when a terrorist was better protected and invested in than the United States Military. He pushes the thought aside and activates his comm-link to signal Tony to start the first half of their jobs. Steve starts the rest of his climb to the top of the cliff and within sixty seconds Tony has launched a virtually undetectable drone over the compound toward the forested areas near the lake. The drone lands deep in the trees and Tony quickly starts pumping gunfire through the drone's weapons. Half the soldiers immediately break off from the compound and make their way toward the shots. Tony programs the drone to move randomly through the forest to try to keep them busy for as long as possible.

Steve moves quickly and peers over the cliff edge to survey the area. The fence is about 30 feet away from him. The soldiers that stayed behind to watch the fence are focusing on the gunfire coming from the lake in front of them as they watch their teammates run into the forest. They are on alert and preparing for an attack from the lake. Steve lightly jumps up over the edge of the cliff and makes his way to the fence. He is quick and deadly quiet as he jumps the fence and razor wire. He lands silently on the other side of the fence and Steve quickly makes his way though the buildings, ducking behind walls and storage bins and jeeps to avoid the patrols and search lights. He strategically places explosives on a few buildings and on a couple of the jeeps near the gas tanks while silently taking out a few soldiers patrolling the compound.

He finds a small building that SHIELD had guessed to be a small holding cell for prisoners. The Super Soldier peers around the corner of the building and sees two guards standing in front of the prison. He readies his shield and charges in, blocking the almost immediate gun fire from the guards. Using as much force as he can, Steve charges the first guard and hits him with his shield, sending him flying back. The other guard is stunned by the sight of his partner flying a good 20 feet behind him at the quick hit by Captain America. Rogers tries to take advantage of the shock and he swings his arm and back hands the gun out of the man's hands. Seeing that he is out matched and now weaponless, the soldier makes a run for it. Steve throws his shield, taking the retreating man out easily. Steve makes his way into the building to find two SHIELD agents in cells.

"Agent Packlow. Agent Borrowmen," Captain America says with a nod.

"Captain America?" Agent Packlow says with a start. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, soldier," Steve replies as he breaks the lock on the jail door with his shield. The two men make their way out of the cells and Cap hands them the two weapons that Fury had given him on the Helicarrier. "I'm assuming you know how to use these things?" The agent's nod. "Good, now get out of here. It's about to get real messy real quick. Takes this communicator and call SHIELD for pick up."

The two agents thank Cap and run out of the compound while Steve continues to try to find the building that is holding the weapons.

Clint and Tony keep an eye on things from up above on the cliff, trying to keep the soldiers busy while Steve makes his way deeper into the compound. The guards around the perimeter were getting anxious. Steve needs to make his move soon or this whole thing was going to turn to crap.

Above the compound, Iron Man and Hawkeye wait for their signal as they watch the Captain move through the buildings below.

"Clint." Tony whispers while he taps a few buttons on his wrist to move the drone.

"Yeah," Clint whispers back.

"Waiting makes me crabby."

Steve makes his way to a large warehouse in the center of the compound and lightly leaps his way up on top of a truck and from there onto he roof of the warehouse. The intel that was collected stated that this is where SHIELD was suspicious most of the weapons were being stored, including a couple jets that Hammer was delivering that night. The Captain found an open air shaft on the roof and carefully squirmed his way down. He eventually made his way to a vent where he could see men talking around a table. There were maps and files scattered across the table while they shuffled through the papers and debated in Russian what their best plan of attack would be. Steve moved on and found a vent that opened up to a large room filled with wooden cargo boxes and two men walked into view. One of the men was dressed in camoflauge and the other was dressed in a flashy suit and tie. This was obviously Justin Hammer. The other man Steve could only assume he was either a high ranking soldier or possibly one of the leaders of the rogue soldiers. Steve waited and tried to listen in.

"We need to make this deal quickly," The camouflaged man says with a tone of anxiousness. "There is something going on near the lake."

"I'm sure it's nothing that your men can't handle with the tech I've supplied them," Hammer scoffs. "Whatever rag-tag group that would dare try to take on this compound won't last long."

"Hm, I wish I were as confident as you." The camo man replies. "But we have many enemies and all of them would love to be able to takes us down before we have a chance to make our move."

"Well, let's add to your confidence and see what we can do to get you ready to make your big debut," Hammer says as two large platforms are pulled in by a couple vehicles. The platforms are covered in large tarps, but it's obvious that there are jets under the cloths. "I think these two beauties will do quite a bit to help your cause!"

With that statement, Hammer presses a button and the tarps drops revealing the two large jets. "These beauties are the future of air combat," Hammer announces as he raises his hands for dramatic effect. "Each one is built for speed and stealth. These babies will get you from Russia to the U.S. in 20 minutes flat. Each is equipped with state of the art scanners, targeting systems, and weapons. The best, are these little beauties here." Hammer points up to two large black rockets attached to the wings of each jet. "These bad boys pack enough fire power to level a small city and have the ability to be controlled and detonated by remote. Trust me, these beauties will give you a substantial foot hold with your cause."

"These, I like," the camo man smiles. "How much are we talking for these?"

"Right down to business," Hammer smiles. "I can appreciate that. Normally I would be asking a pretty penny for these, but, for you, all I am asking for is a cool 60 million for both. Cash money, of course."

"Hm, 45 million," The camo man counters. Hammer doesn't look happy with that number. The two men continue to negotiate and Steve has made his way to the floor of the warehouse. He's ducking behind boxes and trying to stay hidden when a solder spots him and fires his weapon. Cap blocks the shot with his shield and makes a run for Hammer. As he's running and blocking rifle blasts, he yells over his comm link "Now!" to Clint and Tony. Both the men jump up and they both start punching numbers into the two remote controls they have. The two of them make a run for the tree line and the line of explosives goes off and sends rocks, trees, and large boulders into the air and tumbling down onto the compound. The two men quickly recover and run back to the cliff to see if their plan has worked. The chunks of rock and trees fall to the compound below, crushing buildings and soldiers below. The soldiers are running in a panic, trying to avoid being crushed by the debris. Alarms around the ware house are blaring, signaling the soldiers to defend the building.

"Steve!" Tony yells again in Steve's ear over the comm while he fires his repulsers and Hawkeye aims arrow after arrow, each hitting their mark at the gathering army. "What's your status?"

"Busy!" Steve yells back this time. He is pinned down behind a large cargo box while the soldiers on the other side continuously fire their weapons and are closing in on his position. Rocks and debris are starting to fly into the warehouse breaking through the roof. It's total chaos, but Hammer is watching with a sick smile of satisfaction on his face.

"Who would have though that my tech would be the what takes down Captain America," Hammer laughs. "I had heard a rumor that you were back from the dead after rescuing a bunch of helpless immigrants the other day. I'm so glad that I am here to see your demise. You should have stayed in the ice, Captain. It would have been a much kinder fate."

Steve fought the flash backs to his nightmares at that mention of that phase he had heard so many times. "You should have stayed in the ice." Peggy told him that in his nightmares so many times now.

"No, I beat the ice Hammer. I beat it so I could take out scum like you who sell out innocent people's lives for a buck." Steve pulls out one of the small silver boxes out of this belt pocket that Fury gave him. He says a quick prayer that he can get this thing to work as the tosses it over the box and right in front of the advancing soldiers. The light on he box begins to flash faster and faster until it releases a small EMP pulse and the soldier's weapons quickly power down. The super soldier knows he only has a couple minutes and he quickly charges the group of soldiers. The men are caught off guard and are in a panic as they try to get their weapons to work again. Steve pulls no punches and he takes out the first two men quickly, throwing them across the room as they crash through the wall. The rest of the soldiers close in on the super soldier trying to overwhelm him. He quickly throws his shield, hitting one man and then another and another as it bounces off the men, throwing each one back with the force. Steve grabs the shield as it flies back to him. The remaining soldier's weapons are back online and are preparing to fire at Steve when the roof of the already damaged warehouse caves in above them. Tony and Clint break in, repulsers firing and arrows flying. The two men have bought him some time and he quickly makes a run for Hammer.

"No! Stay away from me!" Hammer screams as he covers his head with his hands. The Captain slams his shield into the sniveling man's face and throws his butt in the back of one of the jets. Steve jumps into the pilot's seat and tries to match up the controls with the ones he is actually familiar with from the war from memory. Lucky for him the basics seem to be the same. He quickly starts up the jet and yells over his comm for Tony and Clint to get out of there.

"What the hell are you doing, Rogers?" Tony says as he watches the Captain stumble around the control panels in the jet across the room. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"I've got this," Steve yells. "Just get out of there, now!"

"Orders again, Rogers," Tony complains. "Don't get used to this.' He quickly grabs Clint and they start to make their way for the hole in the roof. A blast from across the room interrupts their flight path as the two men fall to the ground.

"Tony! Clint!" Steve yells from the jet. He stands and throws his shield, nailing the man who took the shot in the face. Rogers quickly jumps out of the jet and runs over to the two men. Clint is on the ground, holding his arm and Tony is laying flat on his back and not moving. "Are you guys okay?"

"I've been better," Clint winces. "I think I broke my arm."

"Keep it still, soldier," Cap orders "Tony, what's your status?"

"Damn rifle blast knocked my systems offline," Tony answers from inside the powered down armor. "Jarvis is working on rebooting, but for now, I can't move."

"Just hang tight," Cap says as he grabs his first aid kit from his belt and starts wrapping Clint's arm. "This should keep it stable until we get back to the Helicarrier." He wraps his arm tightly in gauze and uses a nearby board as a splint. "Do you think you'll be able to fly with that arm, Hawkeye?"

"I could fly with both hands tied behind my back, Cap," Clint smiles a cocky smile as Cap helps pull him up. "One handed will be no problem!"

Steve grabs Tony and hauls his armor laden body over his shoulder, struggling under the weight. "This officially sucks," Tony complains while being carried by Steve.

"I agree," Steve wheezes as he hauls Tony over to the second jet.

Clint jumps up into the cockpit and Steve manages to haul Tony into the back seat. "Get yourself and Tony out of here, Clint. Fly back to the Helicarrier and get yourselves patched up. I'll follow once I take care of the compound."

More soldiers have arrived and begin firing at the three Avengers. Cap holds up his shield and does his best to protect the three of them while Clint ducks into the jet for cover.

"Hold on," Tony protests from the back seat. "We're not going anywhere until you're coming with us."

"This is not the time to argue, Iron Man. Clint, go" Cap orders. Clint takes off with Tony yelling the whole way.

Steve runs back to the first jet, dodging rifle blasts, and figures out how to close the cockpit and he turns the engine on. He quickly turns the jet and starts hitting buttons, trying to find the weapons. The few remaining soldiers are starting to advance toward the jet, firing their rifles.

"Cap," Clint comes over the comm-link.

"I told you guys to get out of here Hawkeye!" Steve yells as he is trying to figure out the controls on the jet.

"We're airborne, but you've got company heading for you. They're surrounding the warehouse," Hawkeye warns.

"I've got it covered," Steve assures Clint. Steve hits a remote detonator in his belt and triggers the explosives he had set earlier to detonate, shaking the compound and destroying part of the warehouse. The Jeeps outside erupt into a large fireball as the explosives set near the gas tanks ignite. The soldiers that survive the blast outside the warehouse retreat back to cover. Steve starts to fire the jet's weapons into the army of rogue soldiers. He turns the jet around and makes his way to the door of the warehouse and gets the jet up in the air. Tony and Clint pull up next to Steve's jet.

"How many times do I have to tell you two to get yourselves back to the Helicarrier," Steve glares at Clint.

"He's very convincing, even when he can't move," Clint says as he points back at Tony.

"We're not leaving until you come with us," Tony states adamantly.

"Fine, tell me how I launch the missiles." Steve orders, realizing that Tony isn't going to let this one go.

"Are you asking me for help?" Tony asks in a mock-surprised tone.

"Still not the time, Tony," Steve urges.

"Blue button, second row from the left. Remote control is the control panel to the right. You got something you want to blow up, Cap?" Tony smirks, satisfied that he is getting his way finally.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Steve replies as he presses the blue button. He starts to guide the missile toward the compound as he presses another button to communicate with the Helicarrier half way across the globe. "Fury," Cap calls.

"Captain," Fury answers.

"Did the missing agents make it out?"

"They've been successfully extracted and are on their way back." Fury reports. Steve sighs with relief.

"Permission to finish this, Director," Captain America requests.

"Permission granted. Finish it and bring yourselves home, Captain."

"Roger that. Cap over and out." Captain America guides the missile toward the buildings below. Within a few seconds, the missile hits it's target and once the blast settles, there's little evidence the compound was ever there to begin with. The two jets fly back to the Helicarrier to drop off their prisoner and to get Tony and Clint medical attention.

Once Hammer is in custody, Steve makes his way down to the medical bay to check in on Tony and Clint. Tony is unhurt, protected by his armor even though it was off line, and Clint has a minor closed fracture to his left arm and the doctors have already placed a cast on.

"Well, not the worst injury I've had," Clint smiles as Cap walks in.

"You'll be up and fighting before you know it," Steve replies an pats Clint on the shoulder.

"And when he's up and fighting, he won't go off with some insane, half-assed plan, will you Clint?"

"No promises, Stark," Clint jokes.

"You're supposed to be helping me out here, Barton. Remember our plan?"

"Sorry Tony. Steve did great tonight. Tech or no tech, he beat Hammer and his goons at their own game," Clint shrugs his shoulders and winced a little at the movement of his arm. Steve crosses his arms, smiles and looks at Tony.

"You are absolutely no help, Barton," Tony snips at Clint half jokingly. "But he's right. You did to great tonight Cap. You adapted and you took care of business."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks for having my back tonight."

"Anytime Cap," Clint nods his head.

The three men fly back to the tower in a jet supplied by SHIELD that Tony claims he is going to keep as a replacement. Tony insisted on flying home this time since Clint's arm was broken and, despite his confidence at the warehouse, his one-handed flying skills left a lot to be desired. They arrive home very late, or early, technically, that morning. They all stumble into the tower and each goes to their respective rooms. Steve doesn't even bother changing out of his uniform and immediately hits the bed and lays on his stomach, gathering the fluffy pillow in his arms, and waits for sleep to come.

"So, technology wasn't so bad after all, huh Cap?" Tony remarks from Steve's doorway.

"I need to learn how to lock that door," Steve mumbles, not making any move to look at Tony or give him any sort of acknowledgment that may be seen as an invitation in.

"Just another tech lesson you'll need," Tony smiles as he flops down in a chair next to Steve's bed, clearly not caring if there was an invitation or not.

"How are you not ever tired?" Steve questions, his voice muffled as he buries his head in his pillow.

"Boundless energy, Rogers. And Redbulls. Seriously though, if you want to learn more tech stuff, let me know. You did well out there tonight, but there's still a lot you need to catch up on."

"Tony," Steve groans through the pillow again. "I don't' want to see another gadget for a very, very long time."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Goodnight Tony."

Tony takes the hint and leaves to go to bed or work in his lab or something. Steve doesn't really care at this point. He quietly drifts off to sleep and has an uneasy night of dreams and nightmares.


	4. Family

**Family**

The day starts out quiet, which is good because the Avengers could use some down time. Clint had gone on mission with Tony and Steve yesterday as well as his other missions last week through SHIELD with Natasha. He would be out of commission for a while with his broken arm. Thor has been spending a lot of time running between the Tower and New Mexico with Jane as well as fighting some battles on Asguard. Banner had returned to India to do humanitarian work and only recently arrived back to the Tower. Tony had been stressing since Steve was thawed from the ice, worrying about Steve, working on his projects, running his company, and going on mission yesterday. He was starting to ease up on Steve, realizing with every mission that Steve really can take care of himself. It really sank in the other night when he saw Steve in the Captain America uniform for the first time. He remembered all the stories his father used to tell him when he was a kid about the Super Soldier. Stories of courage, strength and a hero that wouldn't quit and eventually made the ultimate sacrifice. The first time Tony saw Steve he wasn't at all what he had imagined. Rogers was a kid. Barely 27 years old when he was frozen. He couldn't believe that this guy was the hero that his father had told him about, but the more he sees from Steve the more he sees the old stories from his father coming to life. He took the hits and kept on coming. Steve was tough as nails and he had proven it time and time again in the last week.

The nightmares for Steve were increasing every night. The visions were vivid and intense and each night he woke up multiple times in a cold, panicked sweat. As tough as Steve is, he couldn't handle the nightmares anymore so he made the decision to just stop sleeping. It wasn't too much of a stretch since he's been only getting a couple hours of sleep each night. On top of the nightmares, Steve wasn't sure how he felt about the down time. Things had been so chaotic since he woke up from the ice that it had been keeping his mind busy. Now, without a battle to be fought or a bad guy to catch, he was forced to face his past yet again. It was like it was night time all the time now, his thoughts and past there to haunt him in the daylight.

A couple days have past now and nothing happened. No attacks, no threats, no call for the Avengers. Steve has been trying to keep himself as busy as possible. Natasha asked Steve if he wanted to go out to buy some clothes to replenish his wardrobe from the hospital and the few items that they found from Tony's closet that fit him. The two "borrow" one of Tony's cars and cruise up to a JCPenny's.

"Penny's is still around?" Steve asks as they pull up to the store.

"Yep," Natasha answers. "Figured you might like to see something familiar."

The two Avengers walk into the store and Natasha immediately goes to work trying to find something for Steve. Steve wanders and browses through the racks of clothes. He picks out a few shirts and pairs of pants and meets up with Natasha who has an arm full of clothes for him.

"Here, try these on," she throws the pile of clothes into Steve's arms. Steve looks at the pile of clothes and then looks at Natasha.

"You want me to try _all_ of these on?"

"Yeah. You gotta try them on to know if they're going to fit," she replies. Steve is about to argue that point, but decides to follow along and try the clothes on. He starts dressing in the fitting room when Natasha throws another pair of pants over the door.

"Try these on too," she orders.

"Um, wouldn't you be more comfortable waiting out in the store?" Steve blushes.

"Don't worry Steve, I won't peek," Natasha teases.

Steve is a little uncomfortable with a lady being right outside the dressing room door, but he goes along with it. After what seems like hours to Steve, he finally makes it through the pile of clothes Natasha gave him. Natasha makes a 'yes' and 'no' pile for Steve and they get ready to check out, much to the delight of Steve. They haul the clothes they bought out to the car and Steve flops into the passenger seat, feeling like he just ran a marathon.

"Ready to go?" Natasha asks as she slips into the driver's seat. Steve just nods.

"Where are we going?" Steve asks after a few minutes, realizing they weren't going back to the tower.

"You need shoes, Steve," Natasha replies.

"Oh, no, Natasha, really, I don't want to take up anymore of your day," Steve starts, trying desperately to figure a way out of shoe shopping. A lot had changed over the last 70 years, but a man's hatred of shoe shopping wasn't one of them.

"Don't be ridiculous, Rogers," Natasha smiles. 'She actually just smiled,' Steve thought in amazement and he's fairly certain that's the first time he's seen a smile crack across her face since he's met her. "It's kind of nice to go shopping with someone rather than going alone," Natasha admits. "You don't really have a ton of people who go shopping with you when you're a an assassin for a top secret government agency."

Steve stares blankly at Natasha, trying to comprehend what is happening to him right now. Natasha simply smiles at him, obviously excited about going shoe shopping, and Steve squeaks out a smile and nods even though he's is panicking on the inside.

The shoe shopping is finally over and they make it back to the tower later that evening. Steve is exhausted. Despite the marathon shopping spree with Natasha, Steve lays awake in bed, not wanting to fall asleep and let the nightmares return.

The next day he and Thor finds themselves looking for something to eat for lunch together in the kitchen. Steve decides to make himself a sandwich and offers to make Thor one too. He accepts the offer and the two sit down at the table together. They soon start to reminisce about past battles and the celebrations with their team afterwards.

"There was this little hole-in-the-wall bar that Bucky, myself and the guys would hit after our missions. It was small, but they had the best grub there. We would alway see who could finish off the most chow. I was the reigning champ when it came to eating contests with the fellas. A couple of them even teamed up once and they still couldn't beat me. Somehow I still ended up paying for the food and beers when the guys talked me into opening a tab there," Steve smiles at the memory, but flashes of his nightmares of the Stork Club interrupt the happy memory.

"You would love the grand feasts that we have after battle in Asguard," Thor laughs. The ruckus pulls Steve from his dark thoughts. "After each battle we would return to the house of Odin to feast and speak of our glorious victory! There is food as far as the eye can see and the feasts last far into the night with mead and merriment. We too have had eating matches with the other Asguardian warriors. There was a time where I ate nearly an entire bilge snipe," Thor proudly announces. Steve looks at him with a confused look. Thor sees the confusion in his eyes. "You know, a Bilge Snipe. Big creature with antlers? Don't you have those here?"

"Not the last time I checked," Steve says.

"They are repulsive, but they are delicious when roasted over an open fire!" Thor roars.

"I bet I could eat a Bilge Snipe," Steve challenges with an eyebrow raised to Thor.

"Really. You're appetite is impressive, Captain, but not as impressive as mine. If a warrior of Asguard could not keep up with me, what chance does a mere mortal have?" Thor questions with a jesting tone.

"Is that a challenge?" Steve asks with a competitive gleam in his eye.

The two exchange glances with each other and get up to raid the fridge. They pull out all the food they can find and go to town. By the end of it all they emptied the pantry, the fridge, and the freezer. The two men eventually move to the living area, each laying on a couch in major food comas.

"I think we call this one a draw," Steve groans.

"Agreed. Your food capacity is most impressive, Captain," Thor replies as he belches. "You have brought back many fond memories for me this day. I must admit to you that I have been what you Midguardians call, homesick, lately. But you feast like my brothers in battle! Thank you Steven."

"Anytime, Thor," Steve smiles.

"What the hell happened in here?" Tony yells as he walks into the kitchen that is covered in empty boxes and wrappers. "Did you two eat _all_ the food in the tower?" The two stuffed Avengers just groan from their couches while Tony holds his face in his hand and shakes his head while he calls to order a pizza.

"Get a pepperoni one for me," Steve calls from the couch.

"And I," calls Thor.

Thor and Steve finish off their pizzas before calling it quits. Despite the food coma, Steve's fights off sleep again. Just a few more hours till daylight.

The next day, Bruce had asked Steve to meet him in the R&D Department in the tower. Steve has just finished his afternoon work out and he is on his way to meet Bruce in the lab. He arrives to find books sprawled on the tables, laboratory beakers and tubes with different colored liquids boiling away in them, and computer screens filled with numbers, equations, and graphs that Steve isn't completely sure what they are.

"Hey Cap," Bruce greets Steve cheerfully. "Thanks for meeting with me. I wanted to ask you for your help on something I'm working on."

"No problem, Doc," Steve says as he looks around the busy lab with curiosity. "Although, I'm not sure why you need me. Wouldn't Tony be better suited to help you?"

"Not this time," Banner replies, jotting down numbers and more equations. Bruce is reminding Steve of the mad scientist in the movies that he remembers watching when he was a kid. "I need a blood sample from you."

"A blood sample? What for?"

"As you know, the Hulk was created by an attempt at recreating the super soldier serum that worked on you in the 1940's. Obviously, this attempt didn't go according to plan, but I believe that I can reverse the effects with a sample of your DNA or, at the very least, curb the side effects."

"Are you sure about this Dr. Banner?" Steve asks, the concern obvious on his face.

"Absolutely," Bruce answers without hesitation. "If there is any chance that i can cure myself or make the Hulk safer, it's worth the risk."

"What's bringing this on, Bruce?" Steve asks with concern. Banner sits for a moment and fiddles with a pair of pliers before looking up at Steve.

"When I was in India doing medical work I saw a man who was beating his girlfriend in an alley. I confronted him and he pulled a gun on me. He grabbed his girlfriend by the neck and told me to turn and walk away. I was so angry that….the other guy…came out. I grabbed his arm and threw him across the alley. He broke his arm and his girlfriend looked at me with total fear in her eyes." Banner shifts in his chair. "I went over there to help people and I ended up harming someone and scaring the hell out of another."

"Bruce, who knows what that man would have done to that woman if you weren't there. I just want you to think about this carefully, but I know how important this is to you and I will support you in your decision."

"I just need to know if there is even the chance of fixing this," Bruce says. Steve agrees to give up a blood sample to Bruce. The two men work through the day as Steve does as much as he can to help Bruce in the lab while he runs tests and diagnostics. Each test yields failed results. Banner is becoming visibly more and more discouraged as the day goes on.

"I don't understand this," Bruce groans in frustration. "The secret to the super soldier serum should lie in your DNA, but these samples are telling me nothing."

"Hey, listen Doc," Steve says as he puts a hand on the frustrated man's shoulder. "I know that the Hulk is a burden to you and that you carry that burden with you every day, but maybe it's a good thing. Maybe it's okay that you can't 'cure' it. Look at the improvements you've made since you first became the Hulk."

"Improvements?" Bruce scoffs. "I'm usually a 'the glass is half full' kind of guy, Steve, but how is this a good thing? I leveled a large part of New York not too long ago."

"And you also helped to save it not too long ago too. You and Nat saved a lot of civilians when the Order attacked. If it wasn't for the Hulk in that exact moment, a lot of the people would be dead today."

"One moment. Does that justify everything else?"

"That one moment impacted a lot a people. There are families out there right now who are having dinner with their loved one instead of mourning a loss because of you, Bruce. I know that you've made mistakes and missteps in your past. We all have and we all deal with those consequences and the guilt on our consciences, but I also know you can keep the other guy in check. You have the strength. I've seen it and I believe in you. You just need to have the courage and confidence to believe in yourself now." Steve smiles at the other man.

"How can you be so sure, Rogers? We barely know each other and we've only fought along side each other once. How can you believe all of this based on our friendship that only started a week and a half ago?

"Because I've been watching you Banner. I won't lie to you and tell you that you weren't intimidating as hell when I first met the Hulk, but I've seen you in action. Not just as the Hulk fighting and protecting innocent people, but as a man who cares about his team. A man who knows what right and wrong are and chooses to do right even when the people he is helping and protecting fear him. That right there is the definition of a hero."

Bruce stares down at the piles of files and paperwork on the table. He's never had someone call him a hero before. He's never thought of himself as a hero, just an unpredictable liability. The only reason he had joined the Avengers was to try to pay the city back for what he had done. But maybe Steve was right. Maybe he did have what it takes to do what's right.

"Thank you, Steve," Bruce says quietly. "That means a lot coming from you."

"Anytime Bruce," Steve smiles.

The two start to clean up the lab and turn in for the night. Steve is glad that the clean up goes so late into the evening. He makes his way back to his room and showers. After drying off and throwing on a pair of sweats he starts feeling a little dizzy. The rooms tips a bit as he walks from the bathroom and into the bedroom. The next thing he knows he's laying on the floor of his room, totally unsure how long he's been there. He picks up his weak and shaking body and sits on the edge of the bed. He rubs his face with his hands and falls back onto his bed and stares at the ceiling for the rest of the night.

Steve drags himself into the kitchen that morning for a cup of coffee. The lack of sleep is starting to takes its toll on Steve's body. Ever since he blacked out the night before he's having more and more trouble focusing and his hands are still shaking. Clint walks in and asks Steve if he wants to do some target practice with him that morning. His right forearm is now wrapped in a light bandage and Clint is anxious to start shooting again to make sure he stays sharp. Steve is a little worried about his aim and his shakiness with his lack of sleep. He knows that if anyone will notice his aim being off or the shaking, it would be Clint. Steve agrees, despite being exhausted, because he can't think of a reason why he can't. But he does welcome the opportunity to keep busy and hang out with Clint. The two have also started to hit it off since the mission a few days ago. Steve respects Clint. He is a hot head and cocky, but he is also smart and calculated. The two of them work well together.

Steve makes his way down to the target range with his shield. Clint is already there with his bow and arrows. The two men start to take out the targets at he other end of the room. Steve skillfully hits a few of the easier targets, trying not to get too fancy with his fatigue, as his shield bounces off the walls and other targets before bouncing back to him. Clint is struggling with his bow with his injured arm and Steve can tell his getting frustrated. He's hitting targets, but not nearly at his normal speed or accuracy.

"This is useless," Clint groans in frustration, throwing his bow onto the table and rubbing his injured arm.

"Keep practicing, Clint," Steve encourages. "You're not at 100% yet, but you'll get there. You'll be back to sharp shooter status before you know it."

Clint smirks at Steve's optimism. "It's just frustrating that I can't do what I could do so easily before. I mean, what can I bring to the table if I can't even shoot my weapon," Clint flops down onto a bench against the wall.

"Clint, you're more to this team that just a bow and arrow, you know that don't you?" Steve sits next to Clint on the bench.

"You just don't get it Steve. Everyone has something that they bring to the table. Tony has Iron Man. Thor has his hammer that summons thunder and lightning from the sky," Clint waves his hands in the air in exaggeration. "Bruce has a Hulk that can take down anything and everything he wants. Nat's got her agility and her pistols that she could hit a fly across a 100 yard room with and your flipping Captain America. Without my bow and arrow I offer nothing of value to this team. I'm just a man."

"I thought you said you read my file at SHIELD," Steve says with a brow raised at Clint. "If that's true, then you would know that before I was "flipping Captain America" I was just scrawny Steve Rogers. I wasn't the healthiest, or the strongest, and for sure not the biggest, but I signed up and offered whatever I had to serve my country. You are more than a couple fancy shots and a bow and arrow, Clint. You're an important part of this team. You offer valuable points of view being an Avenger and a SHIELD agent. You have countless hours of field experience and training. You're smart, strategic and you have the ability to harass Stark and keep him in line more than anyone else here. That last one alone is enough to keep you on the team for the rest of your life."

"You really are flipping Captain America, aren't' you?" Clint laughs as he hangs his head, feeling stupid for even thinking he could get away with counting himself out with Steve around.

"Yup, and even without your bow and arrow, you're still 'flipping Hawkeye'. And whether or not you ever pick up a bow and arrow again, you'll still be an Avenger. Now, are you going to sit here and keep moping around or are we going to shoot some targets?"

"Alright, alright," Clint finally surrenders. "Lets shoot some targets." Clint fits an arrow into his bow and pauses to look at Steve. "Thank you Steve," he says.

"Absolutely," Steve nods.

The two men spend the rest of the day shooting targets, joking around, and just having a good time. Clint soon retires to his room for the night and Steve stays down in the target range for a while longer. He tries to make some more difficult shots now that's he's by himself. Steve can tell he's not at all at his best. Eventually Steve makes his way upstairs to his room. His memory of the evening are spotty. His episodes are getting worse, but at least he's not dreaming while he's passed out.

Tony had asked Steve to help him test out a training room he had just finished for the team that next day. He told him to suit up and bring his shield. Steve had expected something like a gym, but was surprised when he walked in to find a very large, grey room with some sort of metal paneling every square inch of the room.

"Are you ready for this?" Tony asks Steve.

"I'm not even sure what this is," Steve replies, looking around at the strange room.

"This, my friend, is the future of battle field training," Tony smiles proudly.

"It's a gray, metal room Tony."

"There's more to it than meets the eye, Rogers. You stay right where you are. You'll see what I am talking about in a minute." Tony assures. Steve is standing in the middle of the room and he feels like his world is spinning.

Tony steps back to the corner of the room and opens a panel on the wall. He punches in a few numbers and then closes it. "Are you ready?" he calls out.

Before Steve even has a chance to answer, the floor he's standing on suddenly shoots up 30 feet. Steve barely catches himself at the sudden movement under him. He can feel the fatigue even more today. He's in no shape to be testing something this intensive and he knows it, but there's no way out of it without admitting his problems. Steve takes a deep breath and pulls it together and decides to push through.

The rest of the floor has risen to different levels as well. Some of the areas have risen 40 to 50 feet and others are lower at 10 to 20 feet. There are random floating platforms scattered throughout the room near the buildings. A white flash shoots toward Steve and he catches it in the corner of his eye and quickly hits the floor to avoid the energy blast as it flies past him, just barely missing him, and slams into a nearby platform. Steve is on high alert now and adrenaline is kicking in.

"The goal of this training exercise is to make it to the top of the tallest platform and hit the red button. Sounds simple, right?" Tony yells up to the Super Soldier.

"Yeah, simple," Steve yells down to Tony. An odd robot suddenly drops down in front of Steve. It's basic, just a metal frame and a small, metal oval shape on the shoulders for a head. The robot quickly attacks, swinging a thin metal arm at Steve. He raises his shield to block the punch and is surprised how much force is behind the attack. The punch lands square in the center of the shield and it lets out its trademark ring, while Steve skids back to the very edge of the platform he is standing on. He wonders if the robot is just that strong or if he is just that weak right now. He decides he needs to go on the offensive and charges the robot, slamming him in the chest with his shield with as much force as he can manage. The robot takes a step back and Steve keeps up the attack. He kicks the legs out from underneath the robot, sending it falling to the ground. Another white energy blast comes flying at Steve and he narrowly blocks it with his shield before jumping on top of the robot, slamming the edge of his shield into what looks like the robot's neck, severing the small oval head from it's body. Before Steve can even regroup, two more robots drop in. Steve leaps onto one of the robot's shoulders and uses it as a launching pad to jump up to one of the floating platforms and from the platform up onto one of the 40 foot tall towers. The robots swiftly follow. Steve turns just in time to raise his arms to block a kick from one of the robots that is right on his tail, only to take a punch to the side from the second robot. Steve drops to his knee from the blow and swiftly back hands the second robot with the edge of the shield, his adrenaline is pumping now and his instincts kicking in. The hit damages the core of the robot's frame. Sparks fly out from the dent the shield made as the robot stumbles back a few steps. Two more energy blasts fly in, one coming from the left as Steve quickly lays back on his knees to avoid the blast. The other blast comes from above and Steve quickly tucks and rolls to the right. As soon as he recovers and looks up, the first robot grabs Steve by the neck and raises him off the ground. Trying to think quickly, he sends powerful kick into the midsection of the robot, causing it to release it's grip.

Tony sees the robot grab Steve and didn't know why the soldier didn't break free like he usually does. He had almost hit the emergency shut down button when Steve manages to break free from the grip.

The second robot has recovered and begins to charge. Steve side steps the attack and grabs the robots arm, spinning around with it once before releasing and throwing it into the first robot, sending them both over the edge of the tower. In a sudden moment free of attack, the Super Soldier runs full speed off the edge of the building and lands on a platform only to nearly skid off the opposite edge from the momentum. He grabs the edge of the platform and starts to pull himself up. Steve groans in frustration as another robot drops in onto the platform right in front of him. It raises its hands to knock him off the edge, but Steve swings his legs up and over himself, kicking the robot in the head as Rogers lands lightly onto the platform. He quickly spins around and throws his shield, nailing the robot in the chest and sending him flying back off the platform as the shield ricochets back to it's owner. The 50 foot building is about 10 feet away from him and the platform he is on is hovering about 15 feet below the building. Steve backs up to the edge of the platform and bursts into a sprint and he leaps toward the building. He slams the edge of his shield into the side of the building about 10 feet below the top, lodging it into the metal building. Steve is hanging from the shield that is half buried in the building. He pulls himself up and is standing on the shield. Steve gets ready to jump up the rest of the way when another energy blast comes hurdling toward him. He dodges it, but loses his balance and falls off the shield, only just grabbing the edge to save himself. He pulls himself up again and quickly jumps up to grab the edge of the top of the building. Once he gets adjusts to get a better grip he pulls himself to the top. The button is 10 feet away from him on the other side of the building. He starts to run for it when another robot drops in. This one is bigger. About 3 feet taller and much thicker. It has body armor instead of the stickly metal frame the others have.

"You gotta be kidding me, Stark," Steve thinks in his mind as he looks at the new robot, trying to strategize how he's going to deal with this thing. It charges and punches Steve square in the jaw. Steve stumbles onto his back. The robot jumps on top of him and throws another punch. Steve dodges it and the punch lands on the floor of the building top, denting and cracking from the force. Steve gets his feet under the robot and he kicks with all of his strength, sending the robot flying back. Rogers scrambles to his feet. He needs to rely on his speed and strength since his shield is still jammed into the side of the building. The robot has also recovered and it charges at Steve. Cap ducks to avoid the punch, puts his fists together and jumps up giving the robot a forceful uppercut. The head of the robot snaps back. If it had been a human the punch would have dislodged the man's head. The robot, however, returns the blow with a knee to Steve's gut. Cap doubles over and gasps for air from the hit. He gathers all of his strength and tackles the robot to the ground and punches it as hard as he can, breaking through the armor plating on the robot's chest. He reaches in and rips out whatever he can grab onto. A tangle or wires and metal comes sparking out. The robot is still trying to fight, but it's obviously mortally wounded, or as mortally wounded as a robot could be. It pushes Steve off of itself and starts to stand. Steve goes on the offensive quickly to capitalize on the robot's damage. He sends punch after punch into the robot's body, slowly forcing him back to the edge of the building. With one last powerful kick the robot is sent flying off the building. Steve makes a run to the button and slams his hand down on it.

A loud buzzer sounds and the platforms and buildings start to sink back into the ground. Steve lays on the ground for a couple minutes, trying to catch his breath before he limps back to the corner where Tony stands, grabbing his shield on the way. Tony has a big smile on his face.

"My little training room must have given you a work out, Rogers. Take a breather, Old Man. That was awesome, but it took you over 10 minutes to do all of that. I think if we keep at it we could get you down to 8 minutes. Once we get you down to 8 minutes we could up the difficulty too," Tony was obviously excited at his new toy. Steve just stares at him, still trying to catch his breath while sweat pours off of him from the strenuous training session. Steve walks up to Stark as he's still babbling about more testing and upgrades and Steve punches him square in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Tony yells, rubbing his arm. Steve still doesn't say anything. He just walks out of the training room to hit the shower. Tony watches him leave with a concerned look on his face.

Steve hits the shower and cleans off the sweat and blood off of his face from the punches he took. He feels a little bad about punching Tony. He didn't know about how tired he is and how close he came to getting seriously hurt tonight. Even though the last week has been one of the most physically and emotionally difficult Steve's been through, he's been grateful for the time. He finally feels like he's truly getting to know his new team.

Once out of the shower Steve throws on his usual sweats and white undershirt and limps over to his bed. This bed that Steve wants so badly to use and sleep, but he dreads so much at the same time. Tony's crazy training room exercise had used a lot of what little energy he had. His vision has become splotchy and his arms feel numb. Steve lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, not knowing how much longer he can live like this. It has been over a week since he's slept more than a couple hours and he hasn't slept at all the last 5 days except for when he's' passed out a few times, but he never feels rested after. It is looking like tonight is not going to be any different. Steve gives up for the night and pulls himself out of bed and wearily makes his way to the kitchen. He uses the wall of the hallway to guide him as the floor tips and shivers under his feet. He finally makes it to the kitchen and his body feels like it just ran a race, his breathing is rapid and he's dizzy. Steve grabs a cup for some water and he opens the fridge. That's the last thing that he remembers before waking up to Tony slapping him in the face.

"Steve! Steve!" Tony yells as he shakes the Super Soldier from his stupor. "Wake up!"

"Wha….what's wrong?" Steve gasps as he starts to open his eyes and the fog begins to lift from his vision.

"You tell me," Tony says, visibly relieved to see Steve coming around. "I was on my way to bed from the lab when I saw the fridge door open. I came around to close it and found you unconscious on the floor."

"I don't know what happened," Steve says confused and dizzy as he starts to stand, but his legs give way from underneath him and Steve catches and braces himself on the kitchen counter.

"Easy there, Soldier," Tony says as he throws Steve's arm over his shoulder for support. He guides him over to the couch in the living area when Bruce and Pepper walk into the room, still half asleep. Tony had yelled at JARVIS to call Bruce down after he had found Steve in the kitchen. Pepper must have heard him yelling too.

"Steve!" Pepper exclaims as she runs over to Tony. "Is he okay?" she asks Tony, placing her hand on the side of Steve's face.

"Not sure Pepper," Tony replies, shaking Steve again after noticing his chin had dropped to his chest as he walks him over to the couch. "Steve! Stay awake, soldier!" he orders. Steve lifts his head a little at the sudden jarring.

"What's going on? You said something was wrong with him?" Bruce asks as Tony sets Steve on the couch. Bruce sits next to him and checks his pulse and shines a light in Steve's eyes.

"I found him on the floor. I think he blacked out," Tony reports. Steve is trying to focus on the conversation through his fuzzy vision.

Clint, Natasha and Thor walk into the living area after being woken up by the commotion.

"What the hell is going on," Clint asks, blinking from the bright lights in the living area. "It's, like, two in the morning."

"Something's wrong with Steve," Bruce reports as he makes Steve lay down on his side on the sofa. Steve is too dizzy and tired to refuse and he lets himself sink into the pillowy sofa.

"Was there an attack?" Thor quickly goes on guard at the possibility of a threat in their home.

"No," Bruce replies. "He's just exhausted."

"I did notice he was off his game the other day at the range," Clint adds as he flops onto the other side of the couch with Natasha next to him. "He didn't think I noticed, but his hands were shaking and his aim was off."

"Yeah," Tony says with a sudden realization. "He helped me run a training session with my new training room yesterday and he was making mistakes that he normally wouldn't make. JARVIS, when is the last time Steve slept?"

"My sensors report that Captain Rogers has not slept through the night in nearly a week, sir."

Tony turns to Steve who is starting to drift on the couch and shakes him again. "What the hell is wrong with you, Steve? Why didn't you say anything to us?"

"M'fine," Steve says out of breath and through half lidded eyes with half his face buried in the pillow. "Just tired."

"You're more than tired, Steve," Clint says. "We've seen the fatigue over the last couple days. It's harder to hide it when there's not a battle to fight."

"We're a team, Rogers. If there is something going on with you, you need to tell us about it," Tony orders.

Steve is silent for a moment. Too tired to think and keep his guard up, he answers, "I've been having some…nightmares since I woke up from the ice."

"What kind of nightmares," Bruce asks his eyes furrowed.

"Always the same thing," Steve starts as his eyes start to close and drift.

"Steve!" Tony yells, not letting him stop there. Steve jerks awake. "Nightmares," Tony reminds him. "They're always the same thing."

"Yeah," Steve answers ."Bucky falling off the train when I wasn't able to save him…..Peggy waiting for me for our first dance and me not being there….. My friend's dead faces pulling me back down into the ice…..telling me that I'm alone…that I should have stayed in the…the ice."

"Oh Steve," Pepper says as she sits in front of him on the coffee table and puts a supportive hand on his back. "You're not alone and you don't belong in the ice."

"You're an Avenger now, Steve," Bruce says. "We're your family and you belong here with us."

"Thanks guys," Steve says sleepily. "Sorry 'bout…not tellin' you guys….." Before Steve finishes his sentence, he's out. Tony allows him to sleep this time at Bruce's okay. The Avengers all sit in the living area, not wanting to disturb the peaceful quiet that had settled into the room. Pepper brings in some blankets for everyone and she gently lays one across Steve. The rest of the team stays up and talk for a while and eventually decide to camp out in the living room, none of them wanting to leave Steve's side. Eventually, each of them falls asleep in the living area and Steve sleeps through the night for the first time since he had woken up from the ice.


End file.
